All articles tagged with #ellison
A Fox-Roku deal worth about $22 billion, paired with David Ellison’s bid to merge Paramount with Warner Bros. Discovery, signals a shift toward billionaire-led control of how Americans access streaming content, giving Fox influence over distribution and discovery on Roku’s platform and raising alarms about concentrated gatekeeping and reduced media pluralism.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison angrily pushed back on questions about the state's fraud scandal, disputing an $8 billion fraud estimate and telling a Fox News Digital reporter he's done talking to you after Vice President JD Vance threatened a DOJ probe into his knowledge of the scheme; the broader case involves alleged misappropriation of public funds across Medicaid, nutrition and education programs, including Feeding Our Future, drawing congressional scrutiny over potential billions in losses.
Forbes reports that Larry Ellison’s net worth dropped by roughly $50 billion in a single week, driven by Oracle’s stock decline and the resulting revaluation of his stake, highlighting how quickly wealth can evaporate with market swings.
Vice President JD. Vance is urging a federal Justice Department probe of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison as the White House pushes a broader crackdown on fraud.
Vice President JD Vance—who leads the White House anti-fraud task force—has referred a House Oversight Committee report alleging delay of fraud warnings in Minnesota’s social services to the Justice Department for a criminal investigation of Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison. Ellison dismissed the claims as unfounded and a political stunt, while Walz had already dropped his reelection bid amid the controversy.
The U.S. House Oversight Committee’s report accuses Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison of a major oversight failure in handling federally funded fraud, alleging state officials knew of systemic fraud as early as 2019 but continued payments to suspicious providers; agencies reportedly had power to suspend payments without court or federal direction. The findings estimate about $300 million in federal child-nutrition funds were lost to fraud and up to $9 billion in Medicaid funds were at risk due to oversight gaps, with whistleblowers allegedly retaliated against while leadership focused on political fallout. Walz’s office dismissed the committee’s actions as partisan.
Larry Ellison reportedly overtakes Larry Page to become the world’s second-richest person, behind Elon Musk, according to Forbes’ real-time wealth rankings.
Larry Ellison’s wealth rose enough to surpass Jeff Bezos and Sergey Brin, moving him to No. 3 on Forbes’ real-time billionaires list as Oracle shares reached a new high, illustrating how stock moves can shift billionaire rankings.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s annual upfront spotlighted a strong IP slate—Minecraft Movie 2, a Harry Potter TV series, The White Lotus season 4, and cross‑platform ad offerings across HBO Max, Discovery+, and CNN—while openly acknowledging industry upheaval and the looming Paramount Skydance deal, playfully nodding to “Ellison in the room” as a symbol of change ahead. The showcase featured cameos from Shaquille O’Neal, Leslie Jones, and Terry Crews, and underscored a push to engage the TikTok generation, but left audiences after about an hour while executives reaffirmed that the core content portfolio remains the company’s centerpiece.
Paramount Skydance disclosed in an SEC filing that David Ellison’s 2025 compensation totaled $63.2 million (mostly stock vesting over five years) and former president Jeff Shell’s totaled $60.68 million, with most of each package in stock awards (Ellison about $58.7 million) plus pro‑rated salaries and cash bonuses; Shell also will receive accelerated vesting of stock and cash under his separation agreement. Several other executives posted seven-figure stock‑based pay as Paramount navigates a Warner Bros. Discovery deal and Shell’s departure amid a securities dispute.
Dozens of protesters, including members of Congress, gathered near the National Mall to denounce a private dinner hosted by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison in honor of the Trump administration and CBS News, arguing it signals a cozy tie between Ellison’s media interests and the White House as Warner Bros. Discovery’s roughly $110 billion merger moves forward toward DOJ and European scrutiny; critics call the event an “oligarch’s dinner,” while antitrust actions loom even as WBD shareholders approved the merger.
Paramount kicked off its Upfront tour with a New York event led by CEO David Ellison and top executives, emphasizing ad partnerships, Pluto FAST evolution, and in-house studios, while previewing Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch with Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser. The company is opting for smaller, partnership-focused gatherings rather than a large show and is tying these efforts to its expanding slate and advertising tech. The evening featured music by Wyclef Jean and comments from execs on storytelling and marketing alignment, coming as Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders prepare to vote on selling WBD to Paramount for $31 a share, with a close anticipated in Q3 pending approvals.
Sen. Cory Booker says he still wants Paramount CEO David Ellison to testify on the Paramount-WBD merger in Congress, keeping the invitation open after a spotlight hearing highlighted concerns about jobs and media influence. Ellison reportedly could not attend due to a family funeral, with Booker urging him to defend the merger and critics warning about concentration of power and its impact on the industry and free expression.
Paramount’s $111 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery will proceed with a Senate antitrust hearing, but David Ellison won’t testify due to a death in the family; Paramount says he’s attending a funeral, despite pressure from Sen. Booker for him to appear, as lobbying and opposition to the deal from lawmakers and industry groups intensify.
James Cameron says he supports Paramount's planned $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery and believes David Ellison is the right leader to run a multi-studio powerhouse, even as a large sector of the industry campaigns to block the deal. Cameron has a history with Ellison and previously criticized Netflix’s theatrical approach; meanwhile, an open letter from the Democracy Defenders Fund with over 2,000 signatories urges regulators to scrutinize and potentially block the transaction.