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Mark Zuckerberg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Facebook, arrives to testify during the House Financial Services hearing on An Examination of Facebook and Its Impact on the Financial Services and Housing Sectors on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019.
Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

As senators absorbed Tuesday’s testimony from the Facebook whistleblower, who leaked the company’s internal research to reporters, they demanded to hear from the person in charge.

In front of a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday, Frances Haugen, a former product manager at Facebook, said the company repeatedly prioritized profits over user safety. Haugen said she felt compelled to come forward because “almost no one outside of Facebook knows what happens inside Facebook.”

There’s one person inside the company who knows more than anyone: CEO Mark Zuckerberg. But on Sunday, as “60 Minutes” was set to air Haugen’s first press interview as the unmasked whistleblower, Zuckerberg posted a video that showed him sailing with his wife, Priscilla Chan.

“Mark Zuckerberg ought to be looking at himself in the mirror today, and yet, rather than taking responsibility and showing leadership, Mr. Zuckerberg is going sailing,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., chair of the subcommittee that held Tuesday’s hearing. “No apologies, no admission, no action, nothing to see here. Mark Zuckerberg, you need to come before this committee you need to explain to Francis Haugen, to us, to the world and to the parents of America what you were doing and why you did it.”

Since the Wall Street Journal began running a series of stories last month, based on documents provided by Haugen, Zuckerberg has been noticeably silent on the matter. The stories have exposed numerous troubling issues within Facebook’s apps, as well as the company’s own research that shows Instagram is harmful to teens’ mental health.

The closest Zuckerberg has come to addressing the subject was on Sept. 21, after a New York Times story said that Facebook’s current public relations strategy is to distance the CEO from scandals and not apologize for them. The Times incorrectly stated in the story that Zuckerberg had recently posted a video of himself riding an electric surfboard.

Zuckerberg took offense, with a sarcastic response.

Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, testifies during the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security hearing titled Children’s Online Safety-Facebook Whistleblower, in Russell Building on Tuesday, October 5, 2021.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

“Look, it’s one thing for the media to say false things about my work, but it’s crossing the line to say I’m riding an electric surfboard when that video clearly shows a hydrofoil that I’m pumping with my own legs,” Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook.

He was referring to a viral video from July 4, that showed him riding a hydrofoil while holding an American flag. Coupled with the sailing video from the weekend, senators said Zuckerberg is missing the moment.

“Mark Zuckerberg is going sailing and saying no apologies,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said during the hearing. “I think the time has come for action. And I think you are the catalyst for that action.”

In keeping his distance from the Journal’s reports and the whistleblower documents, Zuckerberg has let other company representatives take the heat publicly. Last week, for example, Facebook sent Antigone Davis, its global head of safety, to testify before the same committee about the Journal’s reporting and the company’s research.

‘The buck stops with him’

And on Monday, as Haugen was testifying, Facebook spokesman Andy Stone took to Twitter to try and discredit the ex-employee’s authority, by pointing out that she didn’t work directly on the issues at hand.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., read Stone’s tweet towards the end of the hearing, and said the company has an open stage to tell its side of the story.

“I will simply say this to Mr. Stone: If Facebook wants to discuss their targeting of children, if they want to discuss their practices, privacy invasion or violations of the children online privacy act, I am extending to you an invitation to step forward, be sworn in and testify before this committee,” Blackburn said. “We would be pleased to hear from you and welcome your testimony.”

Ultimately, it’s Zuckerberg they want to question. He’s the founder, visionary, largest shareholder and he still controls over half the voting power. Haugen made that point to the committee.

“Mark has built an organization that is very metrics driven,” Haugen said. “It isn’t it is intended to be flat, there is no unilateral responsibility. The metrics make the decision. Unfortunately, that itself is a decision. And in the end, if he is the CEO and the chairman of Facebook, he is responsible for those decisions.”

“The buck stops with the buck stops wit him?” Blumenthal asked.

“The buck stops with him,” Haugen said.

After the hearing, Stone tweeted out a statement from Facebook, suggesting that Haugen was not in a position to know the inner workings of the company.

“We don’t agree with her characterization of the many issues she testified about,” Facebook said.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., thanked Haugen for coming forward, called her “a 21st-century American hero” and said the committee is coming after Zuckerberg.

“Here’s my message for Mark Zuckerberg: Your time of invading our privacy, promoting toxic content and preying on children and teens is over,” Markey said. “We will not allow your company to harm our children and our families and our democracy any longer.”

Following the hearing, Blumenthal said it was premature to consider subpoenaing Zuckerberg, adding that he should appear before Congress voluntarily.

“He has a public responsibility to answer these questions,” Blumenthal said.

— CNBC’s Lauren Feiner contributed to this report.

WATCH: Facebook investor on whistleblower testimony

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Toyota raises yearly profit forecast despite an expected $9 billion hit from U.S. tariffs

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Toyota raises yearly profit forecast despite an expected  billion hit from U.S. tariffs

A sign with the Toyota logo in Surrey, England on August, 2023

Peter Dazeley | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Toyota Motor on Wednesday raised the operating profit forecast for its financial year ending in March, while flagging a 1.45 trillion yen hit from U.S. tariffs.

The company, which revised its operating profit outlook to 3.4 trillion yen from 3.2 trillion yen forecast earlier, missed profit estimates for the quarter ended September. 

“Despite the impact of U.S. tariffs, strong demand supported by the competitiveness of our products has led to increased sales volumes mainly in Japan and North America and has expanded value chain profits,” Toyota said in its earnings report.

Here are Toyota’s September quarter results compared with mean estimates from LSEG:

  • Revenue: 12.38 trillion yen (about $81 billion) vs. 12.18 trillion yen
  • Operating profit: 834 billion yen vs. 863.1 billion yen

The world’s largest carmaker by sales volume reported a nearly 28% quarterly drop in profit, year on year, while revenue increased over 8%. Net income reached 972.9 billion yen, up

Toyota released 6-month results — from April to September — and the quarterly numbers have been calculated by CNBC, based on company statement and LSEG data.

The decline in the September quarter’s operating profit represents the second straight drop since the U.S. introduced “reciprocal” tariffs in April. Tokyo in July clinched a trade deal with Washington, bringing down tariffs on its exports to the U.S. to 15% from the 25% initially proposed by President Donald Trump. The 15% duties took effect on Aug. 7.

The company flagged that tariffs remain the largest drag on Toyota’s profit in the U.S., while factors such exchange rate fluctuations and increased expenses hit earnings in Japan, .

A Toyota executive said in the earnings call that the company was “assessing challenges” and “making preparations” for a plan to ship made-in-U.S. vehicles to customers in Japan, as to align with a new investment framework between Tokyo and Washington.

They added that the plan may not be “economically rational,” but could make certain products more available to Japanese customers.

Tariffs bite

The impacts of U.S. tariffs have been sharply felt across Japan’s auto industry, with Japanese shipments of automobiles to the U.S. dropping 24.2% in September, though this was slightly less compared to the 28.4% drop in August.

While Toyota has extensive North American production, about one-fifth of its U.S. sales still depend on Japanese imports and tariff costs on those imports are being absorbed rather than passed through, according to Liz Lee, associate director at Counterpoint Research. 

“We’re expecting profitability to remain under pressure in [the current quarter] as tariff and currency headwinds persist, with gradual improvement likely from the [March quarter] onwards,” Lee told CNBC in a statement.  

“Profitability should recover modestly next fiscal year if trade costs stabilize and the yen weakens, though rising EV competition will continue to cap upside potential,” she added. 

Toyota has increasingly been leaning into electrified vehicles, which accounted for 46.9% of Toyota and Lexus vehicle sales in the first half of its fiscal year. These sales were primarily driven by hybrid electric vehicles in regions such as North America and China.

However, Toyota’s limited lineup of fully electric battery-powered vehicles could leave it more exposed to competition from Chinese EV players in Europe and Southeast Asia, Lee said.

Despite decreasing profits, Toyota has continued to show strong global demand. The company recently reported that vehicle sales, including its luxury brand Lexus, reached 5.3 million in the nine months to September, a 4.7% increase from a year earlier. In it’s earnings report, the company said it would continue to focus on increasing sales volume and cutting costs.

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Nvidia deepens India footprint with $2 billion deep tech alliance to mentor AI startups

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Nvidia deepens India footprint with  billion deep tech alliance to mentor AI startups

Co-founder and CEO of Nvidia Jensen Huang spoke to journalists during a trip to Beijing in July.

Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images

Nvidia will help train and mentor emerging deep tech startups in India as a founding member of a $2 billion investment alliance, deepening its presence in the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem.

The U.S. chipmaker has joined the India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA) — a group of private equity and venture capital investors pledging $2 billion for deep tech investments — as a founding member. Deep tech startups are an umbrella term for emerging companies in semiconductors, space, AI, biotech, robotics, and energy.

The world’s most valuable company will offer technical talks and training through its Nvidia Deep Learning Institute to emerging startups in India.

Nvidia wants to “provide guidance on AI systems, developer enablement, and responsible deployment, and to collaborate with policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs,” Vishal Dhupar, Nvidia’s managing director of South Asia, said.

Nvidia did not disclose any financial investment, timeline, or training targets, and did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.

“Nvidia’s depth of expertise in AI systems, software, and ecosystem-building will benefit our network of investors and entrepreneurs,” said Sriram Viswanathan, founding executive council member of the IDTA.

He told CNBC that the pace of innovation is accelerating in India and there could be a “significant number of Indian deep tech companies of global repute” in the next five years.

The Indian government is also actively encouraging research and innovation in the deep tech space through major initiatives, including over 100 billion rupees ($1.1 billion USD) under its AI Mission and a separate 1 trillion rupees ($11.2 billion) Research, Development and Innovation Scheme Fund targeting deep tech companies.

On Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the country will host the AI Impact Summit in February next year.

The event is likely to see the participation of heads of state and top policymakers, along with business leaders such as Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of NVIDIA, and Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind.

Nvidia’s commitment in India coincides with rising global interest in India’s AI market, where OpenAI counts the country as its second-largest user base. U.S. rivals are also deepening ties: Google recently pledged $15 billion to build an AI hub in the southern city of Visakhapatnam.

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Wall Street is too fixated on the high valuations of tech and speculative stocks, Cramer says

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Wall Street is too fixated on the high valuations of tech and speculative stocks, Cramer says

Some stocks deserve a higher premium, says Jim Cramer

CNBC’s Jim Cramer suggested Wall Street is too fixated the on large valuations of certain tech and speculative stocks, chalking up Tuesday’s market-wide decline in part to Palantir‘s nearly 8% loss despite strong earnings results.

“The larger issue is that we’re at the moment where money managers, when asked if the market’s too expensive, immediately think of the high-flying speculative stocks or those in the high-growth artificial intelligence column, and so they warn you away from the entire asset class,” he said. “These guys don’t think of the other 334 stocks in the S&P 500 that sell for less than 23 times earnings — those aren’t outrageous.”

Declines in Palantir and other artificial intelligence companies helped bring stocks down on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 losing 1.17%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shedding 0.53% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite sinking 2.04%. Palantir managed to beat the estimates and offer solid guidance, citing growth in the artificial intelligence business. But investors worried broadly about the huge valuations of tech giants that have been leading the market to new heights.

Investors who saw Palantir as their “north star” were alarmed by its big pullback after a great quarter, according to Cramer. The fears triggered “a raft of selling” as these investors questioned the market as a whole, he continued.

Palantir can be a tough stock to classify, Cramer suggested, saying it straddles two different market segments — one centered around tech and artificial intelligence, and another focused on speculative stocks. He noted that the data-driven software company is very lucrative and fast growing, and it “defies easy description.” He listed off a number of its business arms — including its work as a defense contractor and as a consultant for companies looking to modernize and improve profitability.

To Cramer, it’s reasonable to consider that there’s nothing wrong with Palantir, and it just needs “to cool off in order to grow into its market capitalization.”

“Sure, there are indeed some stocks that are visibly overvalued, and when you pull them apart, many of these valuations can be justified, some can’t,” he said. “I think the Magnificent Seven can be justified on the pace of the growth that’s ahead of them. Same, ultimately, with Palantir.”

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