All articles tagged with #business operations
The Portland Trail Blazers announced immediate layoffs on the business side as the organization undergoes an ownership transition from the Paul Allen estate to a Tom Dundon‑led group, with Digital Reporter Casey Holdahl among those affected; leadership says the restructuring is to position the franchise for the future and support those impacted.
The Washington Commanders have appointed Mark Clouse as their new Team President, effective late January. Clouse, who previously served as President and CEO of The Campbell's Company, brings over 30 years of leadership experience, including a military background and roles at Kraft Foods and Mondelēz. He is expected to oversee all business operations and support the team's pursuit of excellence on and off the field.
Apple is asking a California judge to reject Epic Games' motion to hold it in contempt for alleged violations of a 2021 injunction, claiming that Epic is attempting to "micromanage" its business operations to increase its own profitability. The original injunction required Apple to allow developers to provide external payment methods to avoid fees, but Apple's new App Store guidelines impose commissions and require approval for linking to external websites, leading Epic to argue that alternative payment options are "commercially unusable." Apple maintains that it has acted in compliance with the injunction's purpose of making information about alternative purchase options more readily available.
Google AI's updates at the Google Cloud Next conference demonstrate its ambition to revolutionize business operations by going beyond automating tasks. The company aims to rival established AI powerhouses like OpenAI and Microsoft by introducing AI-powered tools for B2B enterprises, including a video creation app, generative AI for image and video creation, and a code assist tool for developers. Additionally, Google Cloud deepens its partnership with Mercedes-Benz to enhance customer experiences with AI and generative AI technologies. This move signifies Google's intent to challenge Microsoft in the AI cloud battle and highlights the increasing importance of AI for enterprises.
Pete Guelli has been named the chief operating officer for both the Buffalo Bills and Sabres, overseeing business operations for both organizations. With extensive experience in the sports business landscape, including roles with the New York Giants and the Charlotte Hornets, Guelli will be taking on big projects such as the Bills' new stadium construction and the Sabres' upcoming renovations to KeyBank Center. His appointment follows the firing of former COO John Roth and SVP Kathryn D'Angelo, and he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to the community again.
The Arizona Cardinals have laid off their Chief Financial Officer and multiple other employees, marking the first layoffs for the team in at least the past 10 years. Owner Michael Bidwill let go of three high-level employees, including the CFO, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, and Vice President of Digital Content & Creative, with the total layoffs in the double digits. The remaining business employees are moving into a new office after previously being housed alongside the football operations staff and players at the training facility in Tempe, Arizona.
The Arizona Cardinals laid off three high-ranking executives, including the CFO, and made other staff changes as part of a restructuring of their non-football operations. The team's new chief operating officer, Jeremy Walls, emphasized the importance of modernizing the organization and providing clarity for the future. These moves come after an internal audit and a previous investigation into a toxic workplace culture. The team has also hired over 40 new employees and is set to hire more in the near future.
YouTube, a part of Google, is cutting an unspecified number of jobs on the business side, including areas like business operations, partnerships, and advertising. This comes as part of a series of job cuts hitting different parts of Google, with over 1,000 people laid off last week and hundreds more impacted in the advertising division. Impacted YouTube employees will have a short window of time to find another role inside the company before accepting a severance package.
VF Corp. has reported a cybersecurity breach in its systems that is expected to have a material impact on its business operations. The breach, which occurred on December 13, has disrupted the company's ability to fulfill online orders and resulted in the theft of personal data. VF Corp. is still assessing the potential financial impact of the incident. The company's stock fell 5.1% in premarket trading following the announcement.
The future of Wagner Group's lucrative operations in Africa is uncertain following the arrest of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Russia. Known for its involvement in security and military activities, Wagner Group has been active in several African countries, providing services such as training, protection, and logistical support. With Prigozhin's arrest, the company's operations in Africa are now in limbo, leaving clients and partners unsure about the future of their contracts and business arrangements.
Clorox has experienced a cyber attack that disrupted certain business operations, leading the company to take some systems offline. Workarounds are being implemented to continue serving customers, and third-party cybersecurity experts have been engaged to investigate and aid in recovery. Clorox is also cooperating with law enforcement to address the issue.
The Buffalo Bills have announced changes on the business side of the organization, parting ways with executive vice president and chief operating officer Ron Raccuia. Bills owner/CEO Terry Pegula will now take over as president of the Bills and work closely with a new management committee. John Roth, executive vice president/chief operating officer of the Buffalo Sabres and PSE, will oversee ticketing, business development, and media and content departments. Kathryn D'Angelo, general counsel, will oversee security, human resources, and marketing departments, while Josh Dziurlikowski, vice president of finance, will oversee community relations, operations and guest experience, and information technology departments. Penny Semaia was hired as the vice president of stadium relations.
Incoming Twitter CEO, Parag Agrawal, has hired Jen Wong, a former executive at NBCUniversal, to lead the social media platform's business operations. Wong will be responsible for revenue-generating products, global partnerships, and live video. She will also oversee Twitter's global ad sales, data, revenue partnerships, and content partnerships teams.
CNN CEO Chris Licht has handed over his responsibilities for managing the business operations of the company to David Leavy, the chief corporate affairs officer at Warner Bros. Discovery. This decision was reportedly made due to a lack of confidence in Licht's ability to manage the financial matters of the company. Since Licht took over, CNN has struggled to attract big cable ratings.
The hype around AI is causing confusion and unrealistic expectations for machine learning (ML) projects, which are designed to improve business operations through predictive analytics. The term "AI" is often used to describe practical ML initiatives, but it alludes to human-level capabilities and oversells what most ML business deployments actually do. Defining "AI" as something other than artificial general intelligence (AGI) has become a research challenge, and the lack of a clear definition contributes to the high failure rate of ML projects. To properly insulate ML as an industry from the next AI Winter, we need to differentiate ML from AI and resist the temptation to ride hype waves.