Microsoft’s Big Gaming Deal; The Cost of Streaming; Palihapitiya’s ‘Nobody Cares’

Squawk Pod

CNBC

Business News, News, Investing, Business

4.2 • 543 Ratings

🗓️ 18 January 2022

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Microsoft announced it will buy video game giant Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion all-cash deal. Under the deal, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, who has faced calls to resign over the cultural problems within his company, will remain CEO during the transition. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner and CNBC contributor, discusses the omicron Covid variant and says its global spread is inevitable. CNBC’s Eunice Yoon reports on China’s latest efforts to tamp down a recent uptick in Covid-19 infections, just weeks before the Olympics. Billionaire investor Chamath Palihapitiya triggered a backlash on social media after saying during a recent episode of his podcast that “nobody cares” about the ongoing human rights abuses against the Uyghurs in China. Palihapitiya now says his comments “lacked empathy.” Plus, Netflix raised monthly prices for its streaming service in the U.S and Canada, bringing the premium plan up to $19.99 per month. In this episode: Dr. Scott Gottlieb, @ScottGottliebMD Eunice Yoon, @onlyyoontv Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Bring in show music please.
0:04.0	This is Squawk Pod. I'm the NBC producer Katie Kramer.
0:08.0	Today on our podcast.
0:10.0	We've got the latest COVID news, parts of China on lockdown.
0:13.6	Dr Scott Gottlieb weighs in.
0:15.4	I do think China probably among countries in the world is the most vulnerable to COVID right now.
0:19.7	At some point they're going to have to normalize travel.
0:21.8	They can't keep restricting the ability
0:23.2	of their own citizens to travel out of the country. Plus a big deal for big tech and
0:28.0	gaming. Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard and billionaire to Moth Polyhopitia, triggering a backlash for his
0:34.3	comments on human rights in China. If there wasn't that quote in the Godfather, I don't know what I'd say,
0:38.8	but we're all part of the same hypocrisy.
0:40.4	And some binge watching this long weekend, but at what cost?
0:44.8	If you even just do all the streaming services right now, it's more expensive than the cable box
0:48.6	used to be.
0:50.2	It's Tuesday, January 18, 2022.
0:53.2	Squawk Pod begins right now.
0:55.5	Stand back you by in three, two, one, fuel brief.
1:00.4	Good morning everybody.
1:01.6	Welcome to Squawk Bucks here on
1:02.8	CMBC. We are live from the NASDAQ market site in Times Square. I'm
1:06.7	Becky Quick along with Joe Kernan and Andrew Ross Sorkin.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from CNBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of CNBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.