SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " takeover " 100 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Sign in to save shuffle history.
US spirits maker Sazerac launches takeover bid for Germany's Berentzen
Sept 21 (Reuters) - US spirits maker Sazerac on Monday launched a takeover offer for all shares of beverage firm Berentzen for €5.55 ($6.37) apiece, which is supported by Berentzen's
THE WEEK OF SEPT 28, 2026
- Trump backs off NIH grants takeover - Dem says climate program boss illegally appointed - Congress in final sprint before midterms
U.K. won't intervene in Paramount's $81B takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery
British regulators gave the greenlight Thursday
Switchboard Health Acquires Livara Health to Integrate Value-Based Musculoskeletal Care
Acquisition Brings Livara’s Virtual MSK Care Model Onto Switchboard’s Specialty Care Platform; Closes $5M+ Round of Funding Switchboard Health, creators
Paramount CEO says politics fueling Warner Bros. merger battle
Paramount CEO David Ellison said Tuesday that the legal battle over his proposed multibillion-dollar takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery was fueled by politics rather than concerns over market share.
Legendary Entertainment Submits Takeover Offer for Lionsgate
The move comes after the "Dune" producer first eyed a potential acquisition of the Hollywood studio last year
Rosie O’Donnell reacts to report she’ll return to full-time TV hosting after ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’
Rosie O’Donnell reacted to a report that she’ll return to full-time TV hosting in a ‘takeover’ of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ after her upcoming guest spot.
Everton up for sale? Friedkin Group considering new investment options including the potential sale of controlling stake
The Friedkin Group (TFG) have said they will only entertain interest from parties who they feel are the right stewards to take the club forward; TFG completed their full takeover of Everton in December 2024
European Leaders Mostly Optimistic About Paramount-WB's Future
European industry leaders are cautiously optimistic now that Paramount is about to complete its takeover of Warner Bros., but there are many unknowns.
Lionsgate Studios Stock Jumps on Report of Takeover Bid by Legendary Entertainment
Lionsgate and Legendary have been in talks since last year, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. No price tag was reported.
Greenland research institutions halt new US collaborations citing mistrust
Although US President Donald Trump still harbours ambitions to take over Greenland, for US researchers his actions seem to have had the opposite effect. Over the summer, Greenland’s two largest research institutions, the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources and the University of Greenland, both announced policies of not starting new research projects with US researchers.Both institutions cite a mistrust of the US as a motivation for the decision. At the University of Greenland, the change of policy has already led to the rejection of specific proposals for new collaborations, rector Mari Kleist told Science|Business. “The reason is the changed political situation between the US and Kalaallit Nunaat [Greenland], and the uncertainty that the American interest in Kalaallit Nunaat has created,” she said.For the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, a partially state-funded environmental research institution, the decision was also prompted by a lack of trust in US intentions. In a July interview with local broadcaster KNR, director Josephine Nymand cited concerns about data ownership, US “influence operatives” and social media monitoring of researchers entering the US.The Greenland Institute of Natural Resources has long collaborated with the US National Science Foundation (NSF). The policy change will not affect these existing partnerships but will apply to collaborations with new, “unknown” partners, Nymand said. At the University of Greenland, the policy is the same.The changes come amid proposals of severe cuts to the NSF, which would likely also see the US research presence in Greenland reduced. In spite of this, when asked about the Greenlandic policy change, the NSF remained optimistic of its continued presence in Greenland.“We are grateful to our partners in Greenland for their collaboration in advancing scientific knowledge and training the next generation of researchers. NSF remains committed to the long-term collaborations with Greenland that enable scientific research near communities and on Greenland’s ice sheet,” an NSF spokesperson told Science|Business.Fewer US researchers in GreenlandMost research published on Greenland is on natural science topics such as the cryosphere, ice dynamics, permafrost and climate change. In recent years, US researchers have been the most prolific publishers on Greenland.The US research presence in Greenland goes far beyond the capital of Nuuk, where the two research institutions are located. It includes the Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland, various projects in settlements and research stations along the coast, as well as research stations on the Greenland ice sheet itself.The largest of these sites, Summit Station, is located at the highest point of the Greenland ice sheet, about 3,200 metres above sea level, and since the 1980s it has been used for drilling cores out of the ice sheet. These ice cores provide valuable information on the global climate going back at least 100,000 years. About 30 kilometres from Summit Station, the Danish-led Greenland Ice-core Project (Grip), funded by the European Research Council, is also drilling ice cores. Although they initially competed, the relationship between the two research teams has “long been amiable,” Jørgen Peder Steffensen, a Danish researcher who has been part of Grip for more than 40 years, told Science|Business.However, since Trump took office in early 2025, Steffensen has noticed a reduction in US research in the country. “Several of our American partners did not make it into the field this year. Their field seasons were cancelled because they lacked the budget,” he said.He ascribed part of the reduction in US researchers to a renovation of Summit Station. “A very large share of NSF funding has gone into renewing the station. Money has been taken from research and allocated to rebuilding it,” he said.A report published in August by Arctic Hub confirms Steffensen's observations of fewer US researchers. It shows that US research publications on Greenland took a dip towards the end of the period spanning 2015 to 2024. In 2024, before Trump took office, the number of publications had fallen from an average of about 250 articles a year, to just 164, second behind Canada at 169.Data from the NSF logistics provider Battelle also shows a reduction in US research presence in Greenland in recent years. In 2023, Battelle counted 48 projects across 78 locations, but in 2025 that number had fallen to 40 projects across 38 locations. And while relations with US personnel in Greenland have remained strong, some tensions have arisen since Trump took office. “On a personal level, there is nothing. But it’s hanging in the air. It hangs unspoken,” Steffensen said.Cutting ties with US researchers entirely would come at a higher cost for the ice core researchers than the Nuuk-based institutions. To get cargo to and from their bases, both Grip and Summit Station rely on unique, ski-equipped Hercules LC-130 aircraft operated by the New York Air National Guard. Without these, maintaining a research base on the Greenland ice sheet would not be viable on current budgets, Steffensen said. “[If the Hercules planes were not available], we would have to think outside of the box. We would have to use smaller planes, and we would have to build a base closer to the coast. But staying in our current location would be too expensive and it would create a huge carbon footprint,” he said.Suspicious people in NuukIn her explanation of the severed US ties, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources director Josephine Nymand compared the decision to past situations when the institute had to cut ties with China and Russia, the latter due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. And although the current situation is less severe, the comparison reflects the seriousness with which Nuuk sees the US threats. “From Greenland’s perspective, the US may not look so different from Russia right now: a much larger neighbouring power threatening to invade,” Lin Alexandra Mortensgaard, a researcher of international politics in the Arctic at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told Science|Business. “From a European perspective, it is not a comparable situation, because we are entangled with the US on all possible fronts and do not want to destroy more than is absolutely necessary. But from Greenland’s side, there may well be a need to send a clear signal to the US,” she went on. Suspicions have been fuelled by instances of Trump-affiliated people in Greenland trying to persuade Greenlandic citizens to support a US takeover. The most prolific among them is Tom Dans, a former venture capitalist and pecan farmer who was appointed by Trump as the chair of the United States Arctic Research Commission. Observers fear that he is now using research to achieve a US takeover.“Greenland is a small society with a small population, so when Americans with unclear affiliations wander around, trying to be good friends with people, and you don't know what they want, that creates mistrust. This probably played into the research institutions taking these drastic steps,” Mortensgaard said.Related articles:The US ‘golden age’ science strategy: what Europeans need to knowEU polar research melts into the backgroundAnchor Greenlanders in Arctic climate research, experts tell EU ahead of policy updateAnd although Greenland’s population is small at just 57,000, for Mortensgaard, it serves as a microcosm for the geopolitical situation as a whole: global powers fighting for their interests to the detriment of the common interest. Arctic research already suffered when collaborations with Russia broke down in 2022, she said, so a split with the US would be a serious hit to climate science.“The Arctic climate system does not respect borders or geopolitical divides. When collaboration across those lines suddenly becomes impossible, it is a huge problem for knowledge production,” she said. European alternatives?The Greenland Institute of Natural Resources is funded partly by research grants from external sources like the NSF. To replace the US funding, the institute will have to look for alternative revenue sources, and Nymand said that she is looking to Europe for those. Aside from Denmark, of which Greenland is formally a part, she also noted increased interest in research collaborations from the UK, France and Switzerland. Kleist of the University of Greenland told Science|Business that it was too early to say if the severed US ties would lead to more collaborations with Europe. Meanwhile, Mortensgaard believed that the tensions in Arctic research could well leave room for closer European partnerships, or stronger links with Canada. “I spoke to Canadian researchers who had long-standing relationships with American colleagues and who collaborated with the US Navy, but who had gotten worried that their data on sea ice could be used if Trump suddenly decided to follow through on his threats of invading,” she said. “Like Canada, I think Greenland is considering creating closer ties to Europe and I think European capitals will be open to this,” she said.
Pato consortium completes Northampton takeover
The takeover of Northampton Town by a consortium including former AC Milan and Brazil forward Alexandre Pato has been completed.
Paramount and Warner Bros. to become one Hollywood giant: Skydance. Here's how we got here
Skydance-owned Paramount is expected to close its $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday. The new Hollywood giant will have a shorter nametag: “Skydance.” But it marks one of...
Tata launches €3.82 billion Iveco takeover that could combine two major African truck networks
Tata Motors has opened its €3
David Moyes: Everton manager admits surprise at seeing the club being put up for sale by The Friedkin Group
Everton were put up for sale again on Friday; owners The Friedkin Group (TFG) have said they will only entertain interest from parties who they feel are the right stewards to take the club forward; TFG only completed their full takeover of Everton in December 2024
The AI takeover of mathematics has begun
OpenAI showed that AI can tackle long-standing problems in mathematics. Experts are excited about the possibilities — and worried about what comes next for their field.
Grand Theft Auto 6's Miami Takeover Begins as Rockstar Spends Nearly $1 Million on 'Welcome to Vice City' Signage
Rockstar Games has reportedly spent $1 million to install a "Welcome to Vice City" sign in Miami as part of Grand Theft Auto 6's marketing push.
Moms Podcast Takeover: Sun, swim & science with Dr. Liza Lockwood
Summer myths are everywhere—but some can be dangerous. This week on the Mom Pod, Dr. Liza Lockwood joins the moms to separate fact from fiction on sunscreen, water safety, and hydration. From the biggest summer parenting myths to simple science-backed tips that could keep your family safer, this is one conversation you'll want before your next trip to the beach, pool, or playground.
MORNING BUSINESS REPORT: Halloween candy costs up, Starbucks explores Chipotle takeover
Jane King has these stories and more live from the New York Stock Exchange for your Friday Morning Business Report.
Nandy 'minded to intervene' in Sky's £1.6bn takeover of ITV entertainment arm
The culture secretary says the deal could affect free expression in the media and the variety of Britain's news landscape.
Apollo rumoured to be eyeing $20bn takeover of J&J’s orthopaedics business
These alleged talks come as J&J considers what direction to take orthopaedic specialist, Depuy Synthes in as it spins the unit out.
Dozens ransack Bellflower business during street takeover, sheriff's department says
Sheriff's detectives today were investigating a burglary in which dozens of people ransacked a Bellflower business while a street takeover involving an estimated 100 to 150 vehicles blocked the surrounding roadway.
Sam Altman: the economy is adapting to AI slower than expected
OpenAI's CEO said he was too bullish on AI's economic takeover in 2023. Slower adoption is a "positive in many ways," he added.
Alexandre Pato-backed consortium completes Northampton Town takeover
Northampton Town have officially entered a new era after Sports Alpha Capital (SAC) completed its takeover of the League Two club.The investment group has acquired a 70% shareholding in Northampton To...
Skydance emerges as entertainment behemoth with Top Gun and Harry Potter
Continuity will be the immediate emphasis for Skydance, the new entertainment giant created by Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Types of Business Fraud to Look Out For
Discover five common types of business fraud in 2026—BEC, check fraud, account takeover, ACH fraud and ransomware—and how to prevent each.
U.K. won't intervene in Paramount's $81B takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery
British regulators gave the greenlight Thursday
PayPal becomes a takeover target as it attempts a turnaround
Stripe and Advent International reportedly offered to buy PayPal for $53 billion as the firm faces a turnaround.
Skydance mashes proven properties of Paramount and Warner Bros. into an uncertain Hollywood hybrid
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Continuity will be the immediate emphasis for Skydance, the newly created entertainment behemoth borne of Paramount's $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery that closed on T...
As AI spending surges, return-on-investment questions mount
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is creating major opportunities while also exposing companies to significant financial risks, The New York Times reports. Larry Ellison and his son are using Oracle-generated wealth to expand into media, with control of Paramount and a potential takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. Meanwhile, Oracle is facing financial pressure […]
Inside John Summit’s massive Experts Only Festival takeover at Randall’s Island
John Summit came back for year two of Experts Only Festival this weekend, taking over Randall’s Island for two days of dance music, packed crowds and
Teen takeover in Aurora leads to damage inside businesses; community leaders reflect
Remote Work As A Worm, Colorful Platformers And Other New Indie Games Worth Checking Out
Here are the new indie games worth checking out, plus an early look at shipbuilding, I Am Your Beast DLC and a cat trying to stop an AI office takeover.
NFL’s Global Takeover Is Just Beginning
The global slate is likely to swell to 10 games—and beyond.
Fetterman Says Democratic Senate Takeover Is Possible, Puts Off His Own Political Plans
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said Democrats could retake the Senate in the midterms, but he's holding off on his own political plans.
How PayPal went from Wall Street favorite to unwilling merger target
Five years ago PayPal was a Wall Street favorite and a leader in digital payments. Since then the stock has plunged, Apple Pay dominates payment services in the U.S. and PayPal is facing a takeover bid it does not like. What happens next?
Influencer pleads guilty to criminal impersonation for viral pranks at Arizona businesses
An influencer known for posting viral prank videos has pleaded guilty to criminal impersonation in Arizona for posing as an employee of businesses in a Phoenix suburb and orchestrating brief but chaotic takeover attempts.
D.O.P.E Cider takes over amphitheater for YO-Nights Business Takeover
A busy weekend in Youngstown continues later into the night with the D.O.P.E. Takeover at Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre.
Britain clears $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. merger
The British government has cleared Paramount Skydance’s $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, saying it had received assurances, after earlier citing concerns over the deal’s potential to limit media diversity.
Former Halo Devs React To Mass Layoffs And The Activision Takeover: ‘Absolutely Brutal To See That Studio Reduced To A Shell’
Bonnie Ross, Kiki Wolfkill, and Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto were among the many former Halo devs reacting to the news
Imran Khan’s PTI braces to fight federal takeover of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Islamabad says the PTI failed to lead the fight against armed groups, but analysts question the takeover.
Prison healthcare takeover put on hold as Arizona’s appeal moves forward
Arizona prison healthcare receivership: An appeals court delays the takeover, keeping the state in control pending its appeal
Hospital, local officials support WVU Health System takeover of Independence Health
Danielle Yackovich had a simple message for state regulators who will have the final say over the proposed takeover of Independence Health System by West Virginia University Health System. “When we talk about an investment of this magnitude, we need to ask the simple question: What will it mean for
10 can't miss fall festivals in GA
Fall is full of festivals and fairs in Georgia, including everything from pirate takeovers to a chili cookout with 50 samples. Here are 10 to check out.
How Trump’s Revenge Campaign Descended Into Turmoil
The president’s allies have sought to prove a “grand conspiracy” through a sprawling Justice Department inquiry. It has buckled under staffing shake-ups, internal disputes and trouble finding evidence.
What Does Caesars Entertainment (CZR) Shareholder Approval Mean For Its Privatization?
Caesars Entertainment (NasdaqGS:CZR) shareholders have approved the acquisition of the company by Fertitta Gaming. The vote clears a key hurdle for Caesars to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Fertitta Gaming and to complete its move to private ownership. Regulatory and closing conditions now become the next focus as the transaction advances toward completion. The shareholder approval for Fertitta Gaming's takeover of Caesars Entertainment sits against broader shifts our research has...
Lionsgate shares spike as Legendary Entertainment revives takeover talks
Lionsgate shares spike as Legendary Entertainment revives takeover talks
Uber Announces Acquisition Offer for Delivery Hero
Cash consideration of €41.50 per share offered to all Delivery Hero shareholders, representing an Equity Value of $14.8 billion, or $13.7 billion adjusted for Uber’s prior stake purchases The transaction is expected to be accretive to Non-GAAP EPS upon close; high-single-digit percentage accretion by year three Delivery Hero has separately agreed to sell part of its business covering 14 markets to SSW Partners Management Board and Supervisory Board of Delivery Hero unanimously welcome and support the Takeover Offer and intend to recommend Delivery Hero shareholders to tender into the offer, subject to their review of the Offer Document Prosus has irrevocably committed to tender their shares, which would bring Uber’s total economic interest to ~53% Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) has entered into a business combination agreement with Delivery Hero, extending the world’s largest mobility and delivery platform to a total of 99 markets, with combined pro-forma Gross Bookings of $236
How Trump’s Republican Takeover Changed The Shape Of Politics
"Regime Change" is attracting all the attention, but another book explains how a fundamental realignment of the U.S.'s political parties powered the President to power.
Halo's new steward Activision reportedly considering rebooting the series, with a team in Sledgehammer Games leading the charge
New rumours suggest Sledgehammer Games have pitched some ideas for Activision's newly-announced Halo takeover.
Oregon OK's takeover of Santiam Hospital by Salem Health
Salem Health has promised to invest millions into Santiam and expand maternity services, among other things. Santiam had enjoyed very healthy profits until recently as one of the few remaining Oregon independents, but its leadership said recent losses and looming IT costs jeopardized its ability to provide services.
Arizona asks Supreme Court to block prison health takeover
U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver ordered an overhaul in 2023 to correct what she determined were constitutional deficiencies.
Starbucks describes talk of possible Chipotle takeover as ‘rumors’
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol, who took over the company in September 2024, previously served as the head of Chipotle for six years.
Influencer pleads guilty to criminal impersonation for viral pranks at Arizona businesses
An influencer known for posting viral prank videos has pleaded guilty to criminal impersonation in Arizona for posing as an employee of businesses in a Phoenix suburb and orchestrating brief but chaotic takeover attempts.
Insurance Australia Group, RAC challenge $942M merger rejection
Insurance Australia Group Ltd. and RAC Insurance Pty Ltd. have lodged applications for a tribunal review of their blocked 1.3 billion Australian dollar ($942 million) takeover deal…
5 things to know about Kings Entertainment's Spooky Takeover
The International Drive attraction gets an autumn makeover throughout October.
The Big Holes in Wearable Heart Rate Variability And Readiness Scores
On September 9th, Apple announced it was revamping its Apple Watch Health Sensing System, rolling out a Readiness score (0 to 10), and increasing the frequency of heart rate variability (HRV) outputs 24-fold. This can be viewed as upping its competition with various other consumer wearable sensors. These “readiness scores” as a composite of multiple metrics, with heart rate variability (HRV) being front and center for most. The majority of Americans are now using wearable sensors, which equates to well over 100 million adults. HRV and Readiness scores are increasingly being marketed as a measurement of autonomic nervous system health, a digital marker for future disease, a clock for biological age, and a holistic metric to promote healthspan and even longevity. (Apple also introduced a new longevity tab and “Health Age”.) None of this has been proven. In this edition of Ground Truths I am going to review what we know about heart rate variability and readiness scores. Heart Rate Variability HRV is the variation in normal heart cycle timing. The variability of the heart rate, the barely perceptible millisecond changes in time between consecutive heart beats (see R-R intervals in the Figure below, left panel), is due to interplay between the sympathetic and parasympathetic (vagal nerve) inputs. Distinct from heart rate, individuals with the same heart rate can have very different HRVs. It is a rough reflection of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity, inadequate to say whether a person’s ANS function is abnormal. For more than three decades, heart rate variability (HRV) has been measured and several studies have found an association of low HRV and clinical outcomes, particularly a link with higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. There have also been less well established links of low HRV to risk of early cognitive impairment, dementia, mental illness, Type 2 diabetes and substance abuse. An important reminder is that HRV is a surrogate marker without any established cause-and-effect relationship. If you increase your HRV, that doesn’t mean it will improve health outcomes. In fact, there is no hard evidence for that. All that work linking to health outcomes was done with electrocardiogram (ECG) derived HRV. Now, in the era of consumer wearables, this is getting assessed differently, by optical pulse (yes, the lights you see) plethysmography (PPG) or what is called pulse rate variability (PRV). They are not the same, as shown below (right panel) and only concordant when the delay between the ECG and pulse is kept constant, which basically means at rest. I should mention there’s also what I will call MPV, a mattress mechanical movement sensor, a derived heart rate variability, that companies like Eight Sleep use, even further away from directly measuring HRV. HRV has not one uniform measurement but many different types of quantification, such as RMSSD, the magnitude of difference between successive R-R intervals of normal sinus beats (N-N) or SDNN, the standard deviation of NN intervals, both in milliseconds. SDNN is one of the so-called frequency domain HRVs (others are LF, HF, LF/HF). Different wearable sensors use different metics; Apple has relied on SDNN and nearly all of the others use RMSSD, which is generally considered the more accurate metric. There’s also the different length of time measured, such as for a matter of minutes, all day, or an overnight’s sleep. Short measurements are especially problematic since they don’t capture enough of respiratory modulation and other factors that influence HRV. Share Ground Truths How well does HRV correlate with PRV? There are very limited studies, especially independently done. One that is commonly cited was conducted by Air Force researchers in only 13 healthy adults assessing Oura ring 3 and 4, Whoop 4.0, and Garmin Fenix 6 and showed a correlation coefficient of 0.88 to 0.97 and a mean absolute percentage error from 6 to 10%. The correlation is not a perfect 1.0, but there’s at least a fairly high level of correlation. HRV is supposed to increase during the night due to takeover of the parasympathetic nervous system, and higher during deep sleep. A recent example of my 1 week, all day “HRV,” and one during sleep is shown below. As you can see, the N of 1 data are inconsistent for the same days from different sensors (Oura, AppleWatch, Fitbit Air, and Eight Sleep) by patterns, absolute numbers, and comparison with prior days and weeks. The largest study in over 8 million Fitbit users (the old version, not Google Fitbit Air, introduced in May 2026) gives you a sense of the effect of age, sex, and the 2 different main HRV (here PRV) metrics, with RMSSD on the left and SDRR (=SDNN) on the right below. That study, from data collected in 2018, is a major outlier, since all the more recent ones are tiny with respect to sample size. Many of the companies have not had independent evaluation of their HRV, such as Eight Sleep, but have published a low standard error on their website. There are some other published studies on the correlation between HRV and PRV, but they are all small and only in healthy adults. A scoping review emphasized the lack of study in underrepresented individuals, including the aged, people of color (which affects the PPG signal), and individuals who are underweight or obese. Add the typical adult age 60 plus with one or more chronic diseases. For example, one study in over 900 adults found poor correlation of HRV and PRV, non-uniformly underestimated across many chronic diseases (cardiovascular, endocrine, neurological, respiratory, and others), concluding PRV is “an invalid surrogate for HRV.” A recent systematic review of 43 studies comparing HRV and PRV found reasonable pooled absolute standardized error (HRV as gold standard) but only 10 of the studies provided quantitative synthesis in ideal conditions. Their main conclusion was similarly cautious: “PPG-derived HRV [PRV] should not be regarded as universally interchangeable with ECG-derived HRV across all devices, populations, and recording contexts.” Factors Affecting HRV and PRV That gets me to the long list of factors that affect HRV (and PRV) besides the device, the type of measurement (RMSSD, SDNN or others), the person’s signal, the sensor site, the duration of data capture, if weighting by sleep stage is used, how artifact is processed and corrected. And this list is not complete!: Oura puts out data from their community of users (who input data) on what affects their overnight HRV. The factors currently provided are: no alcohol (increase 8%), melatonin (increase 2%, float tank (increase 2%), wine (decrease 4%), and party (decrease 14%) in overnight HRV. Must be some big parties! Subscribe What is a PRV measurement good for? It has been falsely characterized as an index of “autonomic balance” and a specific indicator of stress. A 2018 review of the studies available for HRV and its relationship to stress, not using any of the current wearables, found that stress can lower HRV. But so can many other factors. The non-specificity of the signal, indexed to the table above, is striking. Evidence from a UK Biobank study of over 46,000 participants with actual HRV looked at genetically predicted HRV, a genetic risk score, that failed to show the expected HRV-mortality link, indicating that _HRV is likely not causa_l, but rather a reflection of person’s physiologic state. A review of consumer wearable HRV data from 5 longitudinal studies showed that nighttime PRV was not associated with perceived stress, and surprisingly higher HRV, in the largest cohort (N=717 participants), was correlated with higher stress. An Oura ring cohort of 525 first-year college students found a link between overnight PRV and perceived stress, but that was also seen with resting heart rate, sleep, and respiratory rate. Several very small studies have examined the relationship of HRV and athletic injuries or guiding training with mixed, and predominantly negative results. HRV biofeedback training with paced breathing had no significant effect on reducing stress or raising HRV, as demonstrated with sham controlled trials. When HRV for multiple days showed a decline in conjunction with body temperature, the Oura ring published data for prediction of Covid. The WHOOP company sponsored an observational study, published in 2026, of 30,000 users for 72 weeks, without a control group, that reported reduced alcohol intake (5.8 % points) by self-report. That doesn’t tell us much, and particularly about the merits of HRV for behavioral change. If you use the same device and conditions as longitudinal trends for multiple (at least 2-3) weeks that may be the one way to get something useful from the measurements. Data for overnight sleep with minimal motion and using RMSSD is the best proxy for real HRV. The reason to look at trends rather than any given night is that it more likely represents something, even though you won’t know with certainty what the “it” is. Keep in mind there are no data, no peer-reviewed evidence, to show that HRV fluctuation in-person has any correlation with health outcomes. Share Readiness Scores These are proprietary scores that integrate different metrics for each of the wearables: no algorithms have been disclosed. They are unvalidated against health outcomes. In a review of 14 composite health scores of readiness and recovery, HRV contributed 86% to the scores, followed by reading heart rate (79%), physical activity and sleep duration (both at 71%). That review noted the substantial variability in measurement protools and lack of standardization. Sleep staging is notoriously inconsistent and inaccurate by these sensors, which adds further to the HRV uncertainties for what the scores, which use sleep stage data, mean. Only resting heart rate has been shown consistently across devices to be extremely accurate. I’ve made a Table to summarize what we know about which metrics are included, the scores, any peer-reviewed studies that compared the readiness score with health outcomes, and the corresponding (if any, NA-not available) citation. You will note that some companies do not use the term “readiness," such as WHOOP for recovery, and Garmin, which has 2 different scores, one of which is Body Battery. Eight Sleep uses the term “Fitness Score.” They all include HRV; Apple includes a new metric they call “Recovery HRV” which among other components uses 7-days of sleep, but it is unclear what this means or how it is differentiated from other scores (there are clearly no data for outcomes). We have no knowledge of how the different components are weighted or whether any of these scores are better than resting heart rate, HRV alone, physical activity, or any other single metric. Since none of these are standardized, they are not interchangeable, so if you get a 90 for Oura that has no relationship to a 90 on a Google Fitbit Air. Notably, the company can update its algorithm for readiness score at any point without notification to device users. Without any useful evidence of actionability for these scores or established relationship with health outcomes, it is hard to make a case for their value. At the Apple recent announcement they showed their Readiness score (0-10) on the watch (Figure below) but there are no published data on this score, not even on their website. It’s available only on their new Watch Series 12 or Ultra 4 [of course, ;-)]. That exemplifies the problems with these scores, lack of data and evidence for being meaningful to promote health. Perhaps the best study (which isn’t saying much) is the WHOOP Recovery for golfer performance, because it did correlate with an objective outcome, even though there was no control group and the authors were all from the company. Among the 389 pro golfers, an absolute 10-per cent point increase in Recovery score was associated with about 0.5 fewer strokes per round. But that’s hardly a health outcome! WHOOP is also conducting a study in over 2,700 runners to see if their recovery score will be linked to less injuries and improved performance, but that is not yet published and has no control group or randomization. Putting This in Context For two decades I’ve been enthusiastic about the potential for digital health and particularly wearable biosensors. Over the years, we’ve seen some great progress for their ability to promote physical activity and accurately detect atrial fibrillation (the first FDA cleared deep learning AI for consumers). That work was the subject of rigorous research. But there are holes in the data and evidence for other metrics. One notable one is the “VO2 max” story that I wrote about earlier this year. At that time many subscribers asked me to cover heart rate variability, which I finally got to here. When I dived into the research and publication for HRV and readiness scores, I expected to find at least some that were of high quality and demonstrated their utility by linkage to health outcomes. To my surprise, I found none. The wearable sensor measurements for HRV (PRV) are, for the most part, accurate, but that validation work has only been done in small studies of healthy adults and does not take into account the long list of factors, from the device, software side, and the user side, that affect HRV measurements. Moreover, this metric chiefly relies on optical sensing and, as we have learned for heart rate PPG sensing, may be less accurate in people of color. Keep in mind that all of the health outcome association evidence comes from ECG-derived HRV; none are from wearable sensor data. I will repeat the key point: there's no peer-reviewed evidence to show that in-person HRV fluctuation—or efforts to raise your HRV— has any correlation with health outcomes. For those of you who look at your HRV on awakening, or even 2+ week trends of it being low, I hope this context helps to relieve any anxiety. Yes, low HRV (not PRV) has been shown to increase risk of some diseases as summarized above. But efforts to raise your HRV—a surrogate metric— has not been established for improving any health outcomes. HRV does not have any evidence of causality (the genetic evidence actually goes against this possibility). In this summary, I have not included data for other wearable sensors such as Polar, Samsung, Withings, Suunto, Amazfit, Coros, Ultrahuman, or additional mattress sensors. These are beyond my first-hand experience, and as far as I know from my in-depth review none have any peer-reviewed published data that differ from the 6 sensors I’ve reviewed here. From the points I’ve gone over above, we’re not ready for readiness scores. Besides being proprietary, they are predominantly based on metrics that have their own issues. It’s compounding the problem, like building a house without a solid foundation that has never undergone a rigorous inspection, and then selling it. Like I mentioned for PRV, you can look at trends over weeks rather than any single day, to get a handle, but even that may not be helpful. There’s simply no evidence that these scores meaningfully relate to health outcomes. I’d emphasize they might, but that requires doing prospective or randomized studies to prove it. None exist. There’s great promise for HRV/PRV utility_. For example**,**_ Prof Maiken Nedergaard, who discovered the brain glymphatics that are essential in eliminating metabolic waste products from the brain during sleep, has posited that HRV could be a non-invasive marker for neuromodulator oscillations, brain-body regulatory circuits, and brain clearance. That would be extremely useful, but like everything else on HRV and readiness scores it requires solid research and validation. The lay media isn’t helping much to get the story straight. Earlier this year The Economist published a piece entitled “The most useful indicator of your overall health” which ordained HRV as an “accumulated stress score.” That’s akin to the false assertion about VO2max: “V02 max is the singular most powerful marker for longevity.” As I’ve summarized here, that is not established. The fact is that so many things can lower HRV, including physical exercise (especially an intense workout), reduced sleep quality, stress, the list above, no less the device, signal, and software. Whatever fluctuations observed have not been correlated with any health outcome. Sadly, “datamaxxers” are widely using HRV and readiness scores that have never been validated to mean anything. We already know that for some people using the sensors for sleep metrics, it can induce “orthosomnia,” an obsession to get high sleep quality, with associated high levels of anxiety. In an experiment done by a company to promote sleep quality for its employees, “For those employees who did use the trackers, many reported feeling perfectly rested until their tracker told them they had had a terrible night. Others were told that they had slept like a baby when they had actually been lying awake worrying about the quality of their sleep. “ The same problem can result from preoccupation with HRV or readiness scores, with anxiety that would lead to further reduction in both. It you are using a wearable like >100 million American adults, it’s OK to look at these data, but contextualized with the major caveats reviewed here. If you are one to require evidence that HRV or readiness scores are linked to health outcomes, you may not even want to look. The companies make it hard to turn them off! Let me end with the companies that make and sell wearables. Apple’s doubling down on HRV (24-fold more reporting and heart rate very 5 seconds) and introduction of a Readiness score tells us that consumers have bought into these metrics and they are joining the club. However, all of this is occurring with a backdrop of tens millions of users, claims about the data that are not backed up by adequate evidence, marketing way out in front of whatever limited data exists, and not being transparent about their readiness score algorithms. The companies can well afford to do the research that is needed to connect these metrics with health outcomes show, once and for all, that increasing HRV or using readiness scores promotes our health. If they believed and invested in the products they are selling, we’d not be in this position of not knowing. That’s essentially where we are with HRV and readiness scores. Perhaps someday this will change and we’ll have good reason to embrace them. NB: I wrote this post. No AI. I have no conflicts of interest with any of its content. Loading... Ground Truths has 215,000 subscribers from every US state and 214 countries. There are over 300,000 followers of Ground Truths so more than 90,000 folks who can easily convert to be free subscribers. Your subscription to these free essays and podcasts makes my work in putting them together worthwhile. If you’re not a subscriber, please join! If you found this interesting PLEASE share it! Share Ground Truths The proceeds from all voluntary paid subscriptions go to support our summer internship program. It enabled us to accept and support a record number of 62 summer interns that joined us in 2026! These are high school, college and medical students selected from thousands of applicants. We couldn’t do this expanded program without the funds coming in through Ground Truths. Thank you!
What the easyJet takeover means for budget travel
The Apollo takeover also has implications for the London market
A $400 million insurance and benefits business is about to become its own company
The Grant Thornton-CBIZ deal is the largest accounting takeover in a generation. The part that matters most to insurance professionals is what gets left behind
U.K. won't intervene in Paramount's $81B takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery
British regulators gave the greenlight Thursday
Nandy 'minded to intervene' in Sky's £1.6bn takeover of ITV entertainment arm
The culture secretary says the deal could affect free expression in the media and the variety of Britain's news landscape.
Chrome adopts what may be the best protection yet against account takeovers
Device-bound session credentials thwart an increasingly common form of account takeover.
U.S. Soccer nears takeover of U.S. Youth Soccer. This is what it means for the sport’s future
U.S. Soccer makes a move that may reform America's youth soccer landscape
Who Leads Fort Bend County? Not Even Fort Bend County’s Leaders Know.
After the swing county’s top executive became mired in scandal, Republicans—with some unwitting help from a Democratic activist—installed one of their own.
New College picks Tampa business leader as board chairperson
Ron Christaldi joined the board in 2019 and played a role in the school’s conservative takeover.
Rogers becomes sole owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment after purchasing remaining stake
TORONTO -- Rogers Communications Inc. has officially completed a full takeover of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors, after purchasing the remaining 25 percent ownership stake from Kilmer Sports Inc. for $4.35 billion (Cdn) on Thursday.
L.A. street takeover acts as cover while thieves ransack local business
Dozens of people ransacked a Bellflower business early Saturday while a massive street takeover clogged a nearby intersection, authorities said. Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s…
ICYMI: Sen. Banks Joins Kudlow on Fox Business Network
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) joined Kudlow on Fox Business Network to discuss the conflict in Iran, Economic D-Day, and the DSA’s takeover of the Democratic Party. Click the image above for the full discussion. Key Excerpts on Iran: Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.): “At the end of the day, what President Trump and the U.S. Military are doing to push back, […]
Pokémon Go Fans React in Disgust as Players Hand-Picked to Attend Exclusive Times Square Event Sell Their Prized Mewtwo for Thousands of Dollars, Breaking the Game's Rules
Pokémon Go players are reacting in disgust after seeing fans who were hand-picked to attend the game's ultra-exclusive 10th anniversary Times Square event now selling off their unique Mewtwo on eBay for thousands of dollars — breaking the game's rules in the process.
Asurion completes Domestic & General takeover
From washing machines to smartphones, Asurion now owns the cover. Its D&G deal has officially closed.
40 looters ransack family-run California business during massive street takeover
Surveillance video shows 40 suspects ransacking A-Z Market in Bellflower after power tools were used to breach the security gate during a street takeover.
KKK flyers appear in Fells Point, issuing threat over ‘teen takeovers’
Business owners found bags of rocks Friday with note signed by a group affiliated with the KKK “Teen take overs should result in teen chain gangs,” the note read. “Try and spit on our faces.”
Chelsea co-sporting director Laurence Stewart set to leave: What is his legacy at the club?
Stewart joined Chelsea following the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-led takeover in May 2022.
Influencer pleads guilty to criminal impersonation for viral pranks at Arizona businesses
An influencer known for prank videos pleaded guilty to posing as an employee during chaotic business takeovers in Tempe, Arizona.
I reckon Red Bull will definitely give Newcastle wings
NEWCASTLE finally have a squad that could make the Prem competitive from top to bottom. It will likely take them some time to hit full stride given there are 25 new faces at Kingston Park, but their Prem Cup win over Leicester last week showed their direction of travel. Red Bull’s takeover can only be […] The post I reckon Red Bull will definitely give Newcastle wings appeared first on The Rugby Paper .
Lionsgate Stock Jumps on Report Legendary Submitted a New Takeover Offer
Legendary Entertainment has revived its bid to acquire Lionsgate, according to a Bloomberg report.
Sanrio, F1 Academy Bring Hello Kitty Back to Las Vegas
Hello Kitty and Friends will return to Las Vegas this November for the F1 Academy season finale, featuring a fan zone, cafe takeovers and merchandise.
Trump DOJ formally stakes out bold claim that presidential advisers outside government are protected by privilege
Communications that President Donald Trump has with advisers who don’t even work for his administration can be protected by executive privilege, the Justice Department said in a memo Monday evening that comes amid lawsuits and a possible Democratic takeover of Congress.
Galveston County Commissioners Approve County Takeover of Health District Administration
Galveston County will take over accounting, IT, and human resources functions for its health district after a unanimous commissioners' vote.
London’s investment bankers and lawyers make more than £1bn in takeover frenzy
Bumper fees paid in the year’s mergers and acquisitions spark anger over high City pay during cost of living crisis
Clean Virginia: NextEra’s utility takeover attempts, alleged political moves relevant to merger case
Advocacy group argues NextEra’s past political ties and attempts to acquire utilities deserve scrutiny in the $67 billion merger case.
US Supreme Court receives arguments about fate of prison healthcare system
Attorneys for Arizona prison inmates are telling the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a last-ditch bid by the state to delay the takeover of its healthcare system.
Buc-ee’s lawsuit sparks a beaver takeover across Ohio cities
Major gas station chain Buc-ee's is suing Beaver's Mini Mart in Beavercreek. Ohio businesses are adding temporary beaver logos in support.
BioWare Becomes First Major Casualty Of Saudi Arabia's EA Takeover
When news came out that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund had taken a majority stake in Electronic Arts last September, it was clear to anyone familiar with Saudi Arabia, EA, private equity, or capitalism that the move would make an already terrible gaming company even worse. I wrote as much at the time, and though…
Trump’s Kennedy Center takeover has pushed this nearby restaurant to the brink
The drama engulfing the arts institution is hurting the small businesses that surround it.
"I don't know if they will keep funding that one" - Former EA manager doesn't believe the next Mass Effect will survive Saudi takeover
No one knows whether or not we're going to see a new Mass Effect from BioWare, but the chances of that happening look vanishingly small each passing day.
Government land-grab agenda hits key Senate race as Dem backs property takeovers echoing Mamdani
Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson suggested the state should take over mobile home parks, echoing NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's housing agenda.
Legendary Entertainment Submits Takeover Offer for Lionsgate
The move comes after the "Dune" producer first eyed a potential acquisition of the Hollywood studio last year
TN Politics: Some county legal fees come due; MLGW wraps up storm restoration
Legal expenses for the MSCS takeover and Wanda Halbert litigations should advise future intra-government battles, says Otis Sanford.
Washington Should Prepare for a Chinese Political Takeover of Taiwan
A bloodless political victory may be far harder for Washington to handle.
Bills Mafia’s Houston takeover: Where to party before Bills-Texans
Here’s all the information you need if you’re traveling to Houston for Bills vs. Texans
Los Angeles County residents fed up by uptick in street takeovers, business lootings
Bobby Kotick’s lawyers sent me a bad email (and later apologized)
The message I had received was unsettling—for a moment. Then it was just really confusing. Back on January 20 of this year, at 5:15pm ET, I received an email with the subject line “Legal Correspondence re Bobby Kotick.” It was from the law firm Clare Locke, a firm I’d heard had been emailing reporters in recent years about their coverage of Kotick, the former, longtime CEO of Activision Blizzard. The letter was threatening. A lawyer from the firm introduced themselves as “defamation counsel to Bobby Kotick.” They issued a “demand” that I “correct” a Game File article I’d published a week prior. The article that had irked them had been a scoop of sorts. I’d written about a a 2022 lawsuit brought by a Swedish pension fund, AP7, over Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard. The suit wasn’t news, but I was first to review and report about Kotick’s extensive pushback to the fund’s claims. The pension fund’s core contention was that the sale had been rushed by Kotick to avoid the consequences of sexual misconduct scandals swirling around the company in 2021. (He’d not been accused of misconduct himself in those suits, to be clear.) As I wrote at the time, Kotick had denied the allegations of the rushed sale. Beyond that, Kotick used a December 2025 reply to the Swedish fund’s lawsuit to assign blame for those workplace scandals, the bad press and even for the AP7 lawsuit. I’d found Kotick’s arguments novel and newsworthy. Across nearly 3,000 words, I explained Kotick’s take: that a Swedish gaming company was behind the Swedish fund’s lawsuit (the Embracer group; they denied it); that the Microsoft-Activision deal was not rushed and was secured at what Kotick felt history had proven to be an optimal price for shareholders; that he believed a conspiracy of people at unions government agencies, PR firms and the media had spun up claims of widespread workplace misconduct at Activision Blizzard in 2021. The article gave context for all of this, letting readers assess the claims and weigh their credibility. As I’d later write to Kotick’s lawyers: I would be surprised if you could point to any news article about Bobby Kotick in the last five years that has spent more of its wordcount articulating his point of view. He is welcome to do an interview with Game File any time. Nonetheless, there they were in my inbox that Tuesday evening: Clare Locke, the law firm that secured a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News over false statements about voting machines. They were emailing me, threatening that failure to comply with their demand could support a claim of “actual malice,” a legal standard for libel. Unless… Unless, they said, I added a key paragraph to my article. This was a paragraph that I already knew Kotick’s lawyers had been emailing reporters about for at least a year, and it was a paragraph that was already in my article. The paragraph they wanted is from a 2023 settlement that California’s Civil Rights Department struck with Activision Blizzard. The settlement had closed a two-year-old lawsuit over alleged sexual discrimination at the game maker. The paragraph basically said that claims of systemic or widespread sexual harassment—or of execs like Kotick tolerating such behavior—had never been proven. I’d already seen proof that Kotick’s lawyers had pushed for the settlement’s language to be added to reports about 2021 sexual discrimination and misconduct lawsuits brought against Activision Blizzard by California and, separately, by the U.S. federal government (both suits were since settled). I knew that Kotick and his lawyers felt that the California settlement language should be mentioned in the same breath as references to an article he hated and denied, a November 2021 Wall Street Journal article claiming Kotick knew “for years” of sexual misconduct at Activision Blizzard. So, in the Game File article that Clare Locke emailed me about, in the interest of ensuring I was being fair and balanced regarding the person I was covering, I had already included the following excerpt from the California settlement [emphasis added in bold]: (Kotick has repeatedly pushed back against that November article in the Wall Street Journal, citing among other things, language from a court-approved consent decree as part of Activision’s 2023 $54 million settlement over the California suit. It states: “no court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard [or] that Activision Blizzard senior executives ignored, condoned, or tolerated a culture of systemic harassment, retaliation, or discrimination.”) On the evening of January 20, I was incredulous. How do you write a four page legal threat about a week-old article and miss this? While scrambling to also make my kids dinner, I wrote a lengthy reply to Clare Locke’s lawyers, basically asking them to cool it with the threats and to start making sense. In part, I wrote: I hope you can understand why I am having trouble understanding what you’re asking for, when the statement you’re demanding to see in Game File’s article already appears in Game File’s article. Actual malice, as you know, refers to a reckless disregard for the truth. I’m not sure what your argument is when my article already states your client’s position. Here is where I should remind you, the reader, that I am an independent journalist. I publish on Substack, and have availed myself of the Substack Defender program that provides writers on the platform with legal support. But I’m no Wall Street Journal or New York Times, nor even IGN or GameSpot when it comes to such things as, well, having a legal department. There are more fun things for me to do as an independent journalist than writing back to a powerful law firm representing a very rich person. On the evening of January 20th, I was just trying to cook some pasta, broccoli and chicken nuggets for hungry twins. Nevertheless, I wrote back to them. Two hours later, I got a reply. Summarizing: A lawyer for Clare Locke said they’d “reviewed an incomplete version” of my article and they “apologize for the confusion.” (My guess: Someone didn’t read past the piece’s paywall, even though they’d had a full week to scrounge up the funds to do so. What I’d published above the paywall was balanced, as was what came after.)1 That was almost that, but something about the situation bothered me. The letter had been marked “confidential.” I hadn’t agreed to that, and I disliked the idea that powerful people on the beat that I cover would act like they could unilaterally control what I might tell my readers about. On the morning of the 21st, having already gotten the powerful law firm to back off, I oh-so-wisely re-approached them with just one more thing. I thanked them for clearing things up the night before but noted that I’d never agreed to keep their letter confidential. I’m all for agreeing with a source to keep things off the record, but that’s the thing. We have to agree. You can’t just declare it. I’m not bound by that. I wrote to Clare Locke’s lawyer and said, in part: I trust the matter is resolved. It was disappointing to have to spend less time with my kids last night in order to address your legal letter. Family time’s precious. I will add, for clarity’s sake, that, while your letter stipulated that it was confidential, I did not agree to those terms. In the future, should you wish to communicate with me confidentially, I am happy to agree to classifying our communication as “off the record” prior to the actual communication—as is standard with any professional journalist. The firm’s lawyer replied, not directly addressing the confidentiality issue but asserting that the matter was resolved. Why I didn’t write about this until now In May, I told this story on an episode of Simon Parkin’s podcast My Perfect Console, but I held off on sharing it directly with Game File readers. I held off to avoid stepping on the toes of another reporter, the journalist Mikhail Klimentov. He’d interviewed me in the spring of 2025 about an investigation he was working on regarding Bobby Kotick lawyers pressing the media to add the California settlement language to stories referencing the 2021 lawsuits. And about how some outlets had changed their stories and how some simply deleted them. Initially, I was a third-party source for Klimentov’s reporting, providing on-the-record context about the state of the games media. I’d heard about the letters but hadn’t put the time into pursuing the story. I thought it was interesting, and I was glad he was covering it. When the outlet that Klimentov was going to run his reporting in dropped the story, I began talking to him about potentially publishing his reporting on Game File. This was tentative. Then, in January, when I got my own Clare Locke letter, I told Klimentov that I didn’t think it would make sense for me to publish him, not with me now being part of the story. I had my own version of this situation to tell. But I wished him well and said I’d refrain from telling my tale until he could get his reporting out there. Last Friday, Klimentov finally ran his investigation, in a nearly 48-minute video report for People Make Games. It covers various Clare Locke letters, how media outlets reacted to them and what to make of all this. His video weighs the merits of Kotick’s request and looks at some of the articles that were changed (one of which had a glaring error). I highly recommend watching it: (Note, I did some editorial consulting for a People Make Games video last year but nothing to do with this report.) While many outlets haven’t left any public evidence that they updated their Kotick coverage at Kotick’s counsel’s request, at least one has. Back in October 2025, the mainstream outlet Reuters applied the most transparent article update I’ve seen. On the 3rd of the month, they published an article about the state of the Swedish pension fund’s lawsuit. Days later, they added this: In an October 7 letter sent after publication of this article, Kotick’s defamation counsel disputed claims of widespread harassment at Activision. “Not a single investigation, court finding, verdict, or ruling ever concluded that there was any merit” to the allegations of widespread harassment at Activision, Tom Clare and Nick Brechbill of Clare Locke wrote. I’ve never added a statement to my article on Game File, because none was needed. Not for fairness’ sake, nor to meet any demands of Kotick’s lawyers. I’ve nevertheless wanted to be transparent with Game File readers. If someone powerful is questioning my reporting, is threatening a lawsuit over it… if that threat is part of a pattern involving other games media outlets and if, in my case, the whole thing ran into a ridiculous ditch, I want you to know about it. I also share this as a real example of how I handle threats to Game File. I stand up for my own reporting, even when it’s not comfortable to do so. (In that same category of standing up for the work I do, I’ll point to an incident in late August. Asocial media post I published to X/Twitter regarding reporting I did about Take Two and GTA VI was hit by bogus copyright claim by a firm working for the publisher. I pushed back and got it reversed; even while a bigger games media outlet let themselves be censored. This is the other reason I’m sharing this story: To emphasize that dealing with threats from powerful people is one of the costs of covering the video game industry independently and as fearlessly as possible. This is where you come in. Your support, through free and paid subscriptions (sign up here!), can help me keep doing that. It can ensure that I’ve got the back-up I need. And it can help make fiascoes like this even less of a worry, so I can spend my evenings dealing with more important things, such as making sure I steam the kids’ broccoli just right. 1 That pension fund lawsuit I wrote about in January has all but gone away. In May, the fund and Activision Blizzard owner Microsoft agreed to settle. Lawyers for the fund brokered a $250 million settlement for former Activision Blizzard shareholders. In the settlement, the fund’s lawyers changed their rhetoric. Where once they’d questioned the meaning of the California settlement language, they adopted a version of it for themselves. Several weeks ago, while seeking to get a court to sign off on the terms of the settlement, they proposed their fee for their work in the case: $60 million.
Caesars shareholders vote on $17.6B takeover by Fertitta Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment Inc. shareholders voted Tuesday to consider whether to approve Tilman Fertitta’s proposed $17.6 billion acquisition of the casino company.
Girondins de Bordeaux set to avoid liquidation
As per a report from Sud-Ouest, Girondins de Bordeaux are set to avoid liquidation, with English investment firm Park Bench nearing a takeover of the French club. The deal between Park Bench and Géra...
Influencer pleads guilty to criminal impersonation for viral pranks at Arizona businesses
An influencer known for posting viral prank videos has pleaded guilty to criminal impersonation in Arizona for posing as an employee of businesses in a Phoenix suburb and orchestrating brief but chaotic takeover attempts
A bankruptcy and big business takeover signal change in Washington's apple industry
A historic changing of the guard in Washington’s troubled apple business is underway in a Spokane bankruptcy court.
Supreme Court denies Arizona’s bid to delay start of takeover of healthcare in state prisons
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid by Arizona to block the start of a court-ordered takeover of healthcare operations in its prisons after the state was found to have provided inadequate care to incarcerated people and dragged its feet...