GE: the untangling of an industrial behemoth

Investors have cheered Larry Culp’s revamp but further share price gains remain outside the CEO’s control

Sequoia to restructure itself away from traditional VC model

Silicon Valley investor wants to hold on to its investments for longer

DraftKings walks away from £18.4bn offer for UK rival Entain

US betting group decides against formal offer a week after bid deadline was extended

WhatsApp's iOS-to-Android history transfer tool rolls out to Pixel devices

After debuting on Samsung Galaxy devices at the start of September, WhatsApp’s cross-platform chat history transfer feature is now rolling out to the wider Android ecosystem. Starting today, you can move your entire message history, including any voice memos, photos and videos, from an iPhone to an Android device.

However, unlike with Samsung phones, where the feature is available on devices running Android 10 and above, here it’s limited to phones with Android 12. Effectively, that means it’s only accessible to those with Pixel devices at the moment, but Google says it will also soon come to new smartphones that launch with its latest mobile OS. As before, the process also isn’t as straightforward as other chat apps offer. You’ll need a Lightning to USB-C cable to connect your two phones together. What’s more, it involves a QR code you need to scan when first setting up your new Android phone.

Blizzard cancels BlizzConline 2022 amid sexual harassment scandal

Blizzard won’t host a BlizzConline event in early 2022 as it previously said it would. Back at the end of May, when it canceled BlizzCon 2021, the studio said its plan was to put on a global event at the start of 2022 that would feature both in-person and online components. Now that won’t happen.

“Any BlizzCon event takes every single one of us to make happen, an entire-company effort, fueled by our desire to share what we create with the community we care about so much,” the company said. “At this time, we feel the energy it would take to put on a show like this is best directed towards supporting our teams and progressing development of our games and experiences.”

Without directly referencing the sexual harassment scandal that has rocked the studio in recent months, Blizzard notes it plans to take time to “reimagine” BlizzCon. “Whatever the event looks like in the future, we also need to ensure that it feels as safe, welcoming, and inclusive as possible,” it said.

It’s no surprise Blizzard wants to rework the event. One of the most serious allegations made by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing involved BlizzCon. According to the agency, the annual show was the site of the infamous “Cosby Suite” where Blizzard employees, including former World of Warcraft creative director Alex Afrasiabi, allegedly sexually harassed women.

'Dune: Part Two' arrives October 20th, 2023

It didn't take long to greenlight a follow-up to Denis Villeneuve's Dune. Legendary Pictures has confirmed plans to release Dune: Part Two, saying it was "excited to the continue the journey." The studio expects the movie to premiere October 20th, 2023, and it's safe to presume Part Two will cover the back half of Frank Herbert's classic novel.

The move isn't shocking. Villeneuve clearly wanted to finish telling Paul Atreides' story, but the movie also fared better than expected. Deadlinenoted that Dune racked up $41 million at the domestic box office during its opening weekend. That's not as strong as movies like Shang-Chi ($71.4 million) and a far cry from pre-pandemic openings, but it's the best opening for a Warner Bros. movie with simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max releases this year.

It's not yet clear how much the HBO Max launch helped (or hindered) Dune's theatrical premiere. However, Villeneuve won't have to worry about a simultaneous streaming release for Part Two. Warner Bros. is returning to theater-first openings starting in 2022. Like it or not, you'll have to brave the crowds and buy tickets if you insist on watching the follow-up as soon as possible.