Day: November 20, 2023

AT&T Reveals Plan to Spin Off its Cybersecurity Unit

by Amy Larsen DeCarlo, posted in Secure
Amy Larsen DeCarlo – Principal Analyst, Security and Data Center Services

Summary Bullets:

• Last week, AT&T answered the looming question concerning the fate of its cybersecurity organization when it announced plans for a spin out in early 2024

• At least in the near term, AT&T will hold majority ownership in the fledging company with Chicago-based investment house WillJam Ventures also taking a share.

After months of rumors swirling that AT&T was shopping its cybersecurity unit, the telco giant broke its silence last week by announcing it is spinning out the unit in early 2024. The company will keep a majority ownership stake in the standalone company with a new investment from WillJam Ventures, the Chicago-based investment firm involved in the deal. WillJam has a history in cybersecurity. The company currently has a stake in the PCI compliance vendor Viking Cloud as well as XDR provider GoSecure. WillJam facilitated the deal to sell TrustWave to SingTel for $850 million in 2015.
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Microsoft Hires Former OpenAI CEO to Head New AI Research Unit   

by Beatriz Valle, posted in Big Data, IT Leader, Network
B. Valle

Summary Bullets:

• Sam Altman, former CEO of OpenAI, was ousted by the company’s board and now works for Microsoft, where he will head a new AI research unit.

• Emmett Shear, former CEO of game-streaming platform Twitch, has been appointed as CEO of OpenAI after the defection of swaths of employees.

It would be an understatement to say that the events surrounding Sam Altman’s dismissal as CEO of OpenAI during the weekend came as a surprise. The shocking news left Silicon Valley and the tech world at large reeling, and the timing (on a Friday evening) meant only mainstream outlets were covering the news on Saturday, with much of the specialist trade press caught unawares. By Monday morning, and in classical GenAI fashion, several light years had gone by: Sam Altman was employed again, only to head a new specialized AI research team at Microsoft, and CEO Satya Nadella had announced on X that Altman, together with other defecting colleagues at OpenAI, was joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI unit. Microsoft’s Nadella added: “We look forward to moving quickly to provide them with the resources needed for their success”. No kidding.

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