Things To Do In SW Florida

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks pulled away from their record heights on Monday.

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The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% for just its second loss in the last 11 days, but it remains within 0.6% of its all-time high set in October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 215 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite edged down by 0.1%.

Berkshire Hathaway weighed on the market and fell 1.4% after announcing a shake-up of some of its top leadership. Todd Combs, who had been CEO of the company’s GEICO insurance business, is leaving for a job at JPMorgan Chase, while Chief Financial Officer Marc Hamburg will retire next year. read more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Paramount on Monday launched a hostile takeover offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, initiating a potentially bruising battle with rival bidder Netflix to buy the company behind HBO, CNN and DC Studios, and the right to reshape much of the nation’s entertainment landscape.

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Emerging just days after top Warner managers agreed to Netflix’s $72 billion purchase, Paramount’s bid seeks to go over the heads of those leaders by appealing directly to Warner shareholders with more money — $74.4 billion — and a plan to buy all of Warner’s business, including the cable business that Netflix does not want. read more

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that a deal struck by Netflix to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share.

“There’s no question about it,” Trump said, answering questions about the deal and various other topics as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors.

The Republican president said he will be involved in the decision about whether the federal government should approve the $72 billion deal. If approved by regulators, the merger would put two of the world’s biggest streaming services under the same ownership and join Warner’s television and motion picture division, including DC Studios, with Netflix’s vast library and its production arm.

The deal, which could reshape the entertainment industry, has to “go through a process and we’ll see what happens,” Trump said.

“Netflix is a great company. They’ve done a phenomenal job. Ted is a fantastic man,” he said of Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, noting that they met in the Oval Office last week before the deal was announced Dec. 5. “I have a lot of respect for him but it’s a lot of market share, so we’ll have to see what happens.” read more

By KELVIN CHAN and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO

Shopping assistant chatbots were a novelty a year ago. Now, they’re everywhere.

After rolling out AI-powered assistants, online retailers and tech companies have been adding more artificial intelligence features to make online shopping easier and more convenient.

The latest crop of AI-powered shopping services and tools made their debut in recent weeks, just in time to kick off the holiday shopping season that begins with Black Friday.

Here’s a rundown of existing and newly released AI services that can help with your search for the perfect gift in the run-up to Christmas:

Retail chatbots

Amazon led the way by rolling out its Rufus chatbot in 2024. Other ecommerce websites followed with their own AI assistants to enhance the online shopping experience.

Walmart’s Sparky chatbot is available on the retail giant’s app and can synthesize reviews or offer product recommendations based on occasions, such as Christmas. Target recently unveiled a gift finder chatbot on its app, but it’s only available for the holiday season. Ralph Lauren partnered with Microsoft on the “Ask Ralph” chatbot to provide style recommendations. read more

Reports of recent job cuts, especially by tech companies, have spurred speculation about the impact of AI on the workplace: Will the advanced computing technology increasingly replace people on the job?

That was on Kaitlyn McCormick’s mind as she pursued a bachelor’s degree in the information technology field. She is now working toward a master’s in artificial intelligence and machine learning through CSU Global, an online, fully accredited university that’s part of the Colorado State University system.

“If you’re thinking four years or two years of education is going to take you to right where you need to be and you’ll be fine for the next 50 years, that’s not reality,” McCormick said. “If you don’t try to become more relevant, you’re going to be left behind. That’s the cold, dark truth.”

McCormick, who lives in Littleton, has worked in IT for about 16 years and has been a software engineer at Q2 Software Inc. for almost 10 years. The firm had a recent companywide discussion about incorporating AI into its platform. Some employees expressed angst and uncertainty about the prospect. read more