logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2022
9m 52s

Metabucks: Microsoft offers $69 billion ...

NPR
About this episode
Microsoft just announced its intention to buy video game developer, Activision Blizzard, for almost $70 billion. This has some people speculating about Microsoft's future metaverse aspirations. 
Up next
Today
Could Meta do more to protect us from cyber scams?
Many small businesses are online now, but so are cyber criminals trying to take advantage. On today's show, how one bar owner fell victim to a Facebook scam and if big tech could do more to protect small business owners from increasing cyber attacks. Read Stephan's original piece ... Show More
9m 29s
Yesterday
Can you afford to evacuate ahead of a disaster?
We are just at the start of hurricane season, and we're already seeing the danger and tragedy brought on by storms. There's another cost that gets much less attention, but it's a gamble everyone in the path of a storm has to make.Today on the show, we examine the decision on whet ... Show More
9 m
Jul 8
Will the tax cuts pay for themselves?
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is now law. It's expected to cost the government a pretty penny. The Congressional Budget Office predicts a $3.4 trillion increase in the deficit over ten years. This is driven by significant tax cuts, including extensions of those made in 2017. Tru ... Show More
8m 14s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2022
How Will Gamers and Investors Respond to Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard?
In January 2022, Microsoft announced its acquisition of the video game company Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The deal would make Microsoft the world’s third largest video game company, but it also exposes the company to several risks. First, the all-cash deal would requi ... Show More
18m 55s
Jan 2022
Xbox Buys Activision Blizzard - Holy S&*%
Xbox continues its spending spree, buying Activision-Blizzard for almost $70 billion. We spent almost the entire podcast discussing it, from future game exclusivity to Microsoft's role in cleaning up Activision Blizzard's toxic workplace culture to whether or not so much consolid ... Show More
1h 23m
Jul 2023
Microsoft's deal to buy Activision boosted by US judge
A US court has given Microsoft the green light to buy the videogame maker Activision Blizzard in a deal worth $69bn. Microsoft said after the US win, it would focus on resolving concerns around competition in the UK. The tech giant's merger with the Call of Duty owner would be th ... Show More
50m 48s
Jan 2022
Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion
Microsoft announced a blockbuster video game deal, planning to acquire Call of Duty studio Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 
5m 28s
Oct 2023
How Microsoft bagged Activision Blizzard
In the 1990s, Microsoft was seen as a tech industry bully. Once viewed as combative and ruthless in the eyes of regulators, the company underwent an image makeover in the decades since. Now, the FT’s Richard Waters explains how Microsoft’s transformation pushed their $75bn acquis ... Show More
19m 3s
Dec 2023
Big Stories of 2023: The Microsoft-Activision Blizzard Deal
Nearly two years after Microsoft announced its intention to acquire video game company Activision Blizzard, it sealed the deal. But it wasn't a sure thing. We look back on how government officials around the world nearly prevented the merger and why. See omnystudio.com/listener f ... Show More
28m 44s
Aug 2023
Microsoft makes new bid to unblock Call of Duty deal
Microsoft has made a new bid to buy Call of Duty-maker Activision Blizzard in the latest twist in the tale of what would be the biggest deal of its kind in the gaming industry. Its original $69bn (£59bn) deal was blocked by UK regulators, but under the new offer Microsoft has agr ... Show More
27m 21s
Jan 2022
Microsoft and the Metaverse
Microsoft announced this week that it was acquiring Activision Blizzard, the maker of video games such as Call of Duty and Candy Crush, in a deal valued at nearly $70 billion.Microsoft, the owner of Xbox, said the acquisition was a step toward gaining a foothold in the metaverse. ... Show More
23m 2s