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Earlier Thursday, FTX CEO John Ray III filed a declaration with the United States Bankruptcy Court for Delaware, the latest in the implosion of one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.

Ray, who helped shepherd Enron through its own bankruptcy, minced no words about the state of the company or the behavior of the former executive team, describing it as one of the worst examples of corporate controls he’d ever encountered. It was a damning remark from someone who has 40 years of legal and restructuring experience.

Here are some of the most significant revelations from Ray’s filing:

1. A total lack of financial and corporate controls

“Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here.”

Ray opened his filing torching former management, including former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, for the failure by leadership to catch and address a stunning, multibillion-dollar hole in the Alameda Research-FTX balance sheets. The losses for investors may reach as high as $8 billion. But with nonexistent or deficient accounting, auditing and disbursement systems, it will take Ray and his forensic investigators “some time” to uncover the truth.

2. Slipshod accounting will require forensic analysis.

“I do not believe it appropriate for stakeholders or the Court to rely on the audited financial statements as a reliable indication of the financial circumstances of these [companies].”

FTX’s new chief said he had “substantial” concerns about the financial positions he was presenting to the court. FTX’s implosion revealed a massive hole in the company balance sheets, but until blockchain analysis and forensic accounting are completed, Ray said it was not “appropriate for stakeholders or the Court to rely” on the numbers presented.

Accurate financials are a key metric for valuing and investing in a company. Venture capital firms poured billions into poster child Bankman-Fried and his companies, valuing them in the tens of billions of dollars.

A standard aspect of any venture capital investment is a due diligence period, where books are opened and audited financials are shown to prospective investors. Ray’s assertion that the financial statements for many of FTX’s subsidiaries are unreliable raises fresh questions about the diligence performed by some of the world’s biggest venture firms.

3. Penthouses, perks and personal items

“In the Bahamas, I understand that corporate funds of the FTX Group were used to purchase homes and other personal items for employees and advisors. I understand that there does not appear to be documentation for certain of these transactions as loans, and that certain real estate was recorded in the personal name of these employees and advisors on the records of the Bahamas.”

Other reports have detailed lavish perks allegedly given to FTX employees in the Bahamas. Ray’s filing indicated that corporate funds were used to purchase homes for employees and advisors, sometimes in their name. Loans were not recorded from FTX to those individuals — as is typical with similar arrangements at other companies. Instead, individuals were given the deeds to these properties, according to Ray, free and clear, in their own names.

Notably, Bankman-Fried’s $40 million penthouse briefly hit the market in the aftermath of the bankruptcy. It has since been removed from public listing.

4. Emoji for expenses

“The Debtors did not have the type of disbursement controls that I believe are appropriate for a business enterprise.  For example, employees of the FTX Group submitted payment requests through an online ‘chat’ platform where a disparate group of supervisors approved disbursements by responding with personalized emojis.”

Despite an entire industry devoted to expense controls and reimbursements, Bankman-Fried’s team used internal messaging to release corporate funds into the hands of employees around the world. It isn’t immediately clear what platform FTX used, although the company is known to have used Slack for internal communications.

5. An advantage for Alameda

Unacceptable management practices included the use of an unsecured group email […] to access confidential private keys and critically sensitive data […] the absence of daily reconciliation of positions on the blockchain, the use of software to conceal the misuse of customer funds, the secret exemption of Alameda from certain aspects of FTX.com‘s auto-liquidation protocol, and the absence of independent governance […]”

Alameda Research, the secretive trading firm at the heart of Bankman-Fried’s empire, executed trades on FTX alongside other institutional and individual traders. The two firms were closer than publicly acknowledged, however, in light of Ray’s declaration that Alameda was secretly exempted from “certain aspects” of FTX’s auto-liquidation protocol.

It isn’t immediately clear what aspects Ray meant. In crypto trading, liquidation is most analogous to a margin call, where a levered position is closed out by an exchange due to a dramatic shift in an underlying asset’s price.

CNBC has made multiple requests for comment from Bankman-Fried.

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23andMe special committee again rejects CEO Wojcicki’s take-private offer

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23andMe special committee again rejects CEO Wojcicki's take-private offer

Anne Wojcicki, co-founder and chief executive officer of 23andme Inc., during the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, US, on Friday, March 10, 2023. 

Jordan Vonderhaar | Bloomberg | Getty Images

23andMe‘s special committee of independent directors on Monday rejected CEO Anne Wojcicki’s proposal to take the distressed genetic testing company private.

Wojcicki submitted a proposal to the committee on Sunday, offering to acquire all of the company’s outstanding shares for 41 cents each, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The stock plunged 33% on Monday to close at $1.47, down more than 99% from its peak in 2021.

Wojcicki and New Mountain Capital submitted a prior bid in February to take the company private for $2.53 per share. Days later, New Mountain told Wojcicki it was no longer interested in participating in a potential acquisition and would discontinue discussions, the filing said.

23andMe’s special committee said that Wojcicki’s proposal represented an 84% decrease from the prior offer and determined not to go forward, according to a release on Monday.

“The Special Committee has reviewed Ms. Wojcicki’s acquisition proposal in consultation with its financial and legal advisors, and has unanimously determined to reject the proposal,” the directors said.

23andMe didn’t immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Following a turbulent 2024, 23andMe announced plans in January to explore strategic alternatives, which could include a sale of the company or its assets, a restructuring or a business combination. 

Wojcicki previously submitted a proposal to take the company private for 40 cents per share in July, but it was rejected by the special committee, in part because the members said it lacked committed financing and did not provide a premium to the closing price at the time.

WATCH: The rise and fall of 23andMe

The rise and fall of 23andMe

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Huawei charts cautious global comeback with ultra-expensive phones — but major challenges remain

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Huawei charts cautious global comeback with ultra-expensive phones — but major challenges remain

The Huawei booth at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, 2025.

Arjun Kharpal | CNBC

BARCELONA — Huawei is dipping its toes back into the international smartphone market, but analysts warn the lingering effects of U.S. sanctions is likely to hamper the Chinese company’s ability to compete with leaders Apple and Samsung.

Over the past few months, Huawei has launched two key devices outside of China. The first in December was the Mate X6, a foldable smartphone, followed by the Mate XT, Huawei’s 3,499 euros ($3,660) trifold phone.

Huawei was looking to stand out from the crowd of similar-looking smartphones at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, the world’s biggest telecoms trade show. The Chinese firm had a large stand showing off its wares, including the Mate XT.

These expensive devices and Huawei’s presence at a global tech show, underscore the tech giant’s targeted approach, attempting to maintain its brand image as an innovative company while selling high-end smartphones.

“Huawei is still very cautious and conservative with what it believes it can achieve outside China with its smartphone business,” Runar Bjørhovde, an analyst at Canalys told CNBC.

“Bringing Mate XT and X6 abroad is no sign that it will make an international comeback with its smartphone business in the next years. Both of these are priced exceptionally and is instead to maintain its desired brand perception of being a cutting-edge innovator with smartphones and still sell devices to its most wealthy super-fans.”

Signage shows the Huawei Mate X6 at Huawei’s booth at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, 2025.

Arjun Kharpal | CNBC

Huawei’s downfall and comeback

International challenges

MWC used to be a show dominated by Huawei, from the sponsorship of the lanyards and badges that attendees wore, to announcing the buzziest product launches at the event.

While Huawei has scaled back some of the glitzier aspects of its attendance, its stand remains very large as it shows off other parts of its business, in particular its telecommunications equipment which helped turn it into one of the world’s biggest tech companies.

In the consumer space, Huawei has maintained some presence outside of China with devices such as smartwatches but its smartphone business remains very limited. The firm is using 2025’s MWC to show off the Mate XT, the first of its kind device with a screen that folds twice.

However, its success in China is unlikely to be replicated with the biggest challenge being Huawei’s lack of access to Google’s Android software, analysts said.

“I don’t think they will be able to return to international markets without the full Google services,” Francisco Jeronimo, vice president for data and analytics at International Data Corporation, told CNBC.

A Huawei Technologies Mate XT smartphone arranged in Hong Kong on Sep. 24, 2024.

Lam Yik | Bloomberg | Getty Images

“They haven’t managed to grow market share in the international markets,” he said.

Google’s Android operating system is run by 80% of the world’s smartphones, according to Counterpoint Research. Outside of China, Android device users rely on the Google Play Store, which is Google’s app store, as well as the various apps from the Chrome browser to Gmail.

While Huawei has its own operating system called HarmonyOS, it still does not have the ability to offer Google apps, which the majority of users rely on.

“Expanding the smartphone business outside China will be a huge challenge,” Canalys’ Bjørhovde said.

“Not only because Harmony barely has any active users outside China, limiting its user feedback and app availability, but also because it needs the right device portfolio, operations team, marketing resources, etc. This will take years to rebuild, even with strong success in other device categories.”

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AI cloud provider CoreWeave files for IPO

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AI cloud provider CoreWeave files for IPO

CoreWeave, a provider of cloud-based Nvidia processors to companies including Meta and Microsoft, is headed for the public market.

In its IPO prospectus on Monday, CoreWeave said revenue in 2024 soared more than 700% to $1.92 billion. The company recorded a net loss of $863.4 million. In 2024, around 77% of revenue came from two customers, with 62% the total flowing from Microsoft. CoreWeave had over $15 billion in contracts that had not been fulfilled.

In the fourth quarter, it generated $747.4 million of revenue, with a gross margin, or the revenue left after accounting for the cost of goods sold, of about 76%. The company recorded operating income of $112.7 million, but a net loss of $51.4 million, due to interest expenses. Debt at the end of the year approached $8 billion.

CoreWeave filed to trade on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol “CRWV.”

Originally known as Atlantic Crypto, the company got its start in 2017 by offering infrastructure for mining the ethereum cryptocurrency. After digital currency prices fell, the company bought up additional graphics processing units (GPUs) and changed its name to CoreWeave, with an increasing focus on graphics rendering and artificial intelligence.

“We quickly started getting inundated with introductions to businesses dependent upon GPU acceleration with a common pain point: legacy cloud providers make it extremely difficult to scale because they offer a limited variety of compute options at monopolistic prices,” co-founder and CEO Michael Intrator wrote in a 2021 blog post.

Intrator controls about 38% of the company’s voting power before the offering. Hedge fund Magnetar controls 7%, while Nvidia has 1%, the filing showed.

At the end of 2024, CoreWeave’s fleet included over 250,000 Nvidia GPUs, with a majority using the previous-generation Hopper architecture, according to the filing. Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs were in full production as November. Last year, Elon Musk startup xAI quickly wired up a data center cluster in Tennessee housing 100,000 Nvidia GPUs.

Running data centers full of GPUs requires considerable energy. CoreWeave had 360 megawatts in active power, and a total of 1.3 gigawatts had been contracted, the filing said.

Morgan Stanley is leading the offering, with help from JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs.

CoreWeave will be attempting to enter the public market during a historically slow stretch for tech offerings.

When cloud software vendor ServiceTitan hit the market in December, it market the first significant venture-backed tech IPO since Rubrik’s debut in April. A month before that, Reddit started trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

There haven’t been many other tech IPOs of note in the U.S. since late 2021, when rising interest rates and soaring inflation pushed investors out of risky assets.

Within the AI infrastructure market, one other name of interest is Cerebras. The chipmaker filed to go public in September, but the process slowed down due to a review by the Treasury Department’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., or CFIUS.

CoreWeave gained popularity after OpenAI released ChatGPT in late 2022, because the company could quickly provide GPUs to businesses in need. Microsoft, whose Azure cloud unit has supplied computing power to OpenAI, started working with CoreWeave in 2023 to meet OpenAI demand.

“What happened In November of ’22, like, that was just a bolt from the blue, right?” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said on a podcast released in November with investors Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley. “So therefore, we had to catch up. So we said, Hey, we’re not going to in fact worry about too much inefficiency.”

Nadella described the GPU cloud leasing as a one-time event, saying Microsoft was no longer short on chips. But on a more recent podcast, the Microsoft chief said the company builds and rents heavily and will still be leasing in 2027 and 2028.

In addition to being CoreWeave’s top client, Microsoft is also a competitor, along with Amazon, Google, Oracle, and some smaller providers such as Crusoe and Lambda.

Nvidia relies on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. for GPU fabrication, and military conflict involving China and Taiwan could pose issues for CoreWeave, the company said in Monday’s filing.

— CNBC’s Ari Levy contributed to this report.

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