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    Swimmer Missy Franklin featured in Visa Olympic campaign

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1437 Views
    In this Jan. 16, 2016, file photo, Missy Franklin watches the results board of the women's 200-meter backstroke during the Arena Pro Swim Series, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman, File)
    LOS ANGELES (AP) --
    Missy Franklin will be one of the featured faces of Visa's campaign at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, replacing fellow swimmer Michael Phelps who is aiming to compete in his final games.
     
    Franklin's contract with Visa announced Friday gives the four-time Olympic gold medalist her biggest endorsement deal outside the pool since she turned pro last year after competing for two years in college. The 20-year-old has deals with swimwear maker Speedo and Minute Maid.
     
    Joining Franklin on Team Visa are swimmer Connor Jaeger, gymnast Sam Mikulak and fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. They are among over 40 athletes from around the world selected based on their personal stories, athletic achievements and community involvement.
     
    Three-time beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, World Cup-winning soccer player Carli Lloyd, 100-meter hurdles Olympic champion Sally Pearson of Australia and volleyball player Bruno Rezende of Brazil are other notable members.
     
    The Team Visa campaign, which began in 2004, provides Olympic hopefuls with financial and marketing exposure leading up to the games.
     
    Phelps, who turns 31 in June, is training for his fifth and last Olympics. The 18-time gold medalist had been a stalwart of previous Visa Olympic campaigns.
    Tags:Missy FranklinOlympicsVisa



    Musk clashes with OpenAI CEO Altman over Trump-supported Stargate AI data center project

    Wednesday, January 22, 2025
    Elon Musk arrives before the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)

    Elon Musk is clashing with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project touted by President Donald Trump, the latest in a feud between the two tech billionaires that started on OpenAI's board and is now testing Musk's influence with the new president. Trump on Tuesday had talked up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion through a new partnership formed by OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, alongside Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, is already starting to build out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of fast-evolving AI technology. Trump declared it "a resounding declaration of confidence in America's potential" under his new administration, with an initial private investment of $100 billion that could reach five times that sum. But Musk, a close Trump adviser who helped bankroll his campaign and now leads a government cost-cutting initiative, questioned the value of the investment hours later. "They don't actually have the money," Musk wrote on his social platform X. "SoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority." Altman responded Wednesday to say Musk was "wrong, as you surely know" and inviting Musk to come visit the first site in Texas that is already under construction. "(T)his is great for the country. i realize what is great for the country isn't always what's optimal for your companies, but in your new role i hope you'll mostly put (America) first," Altman wrote, using a U.S. flag emoji to represent America. Behind the feud The public clash over Stargate is part of a years-long dispute between Musk and Altman that began with a boardroom rivalry over who should run OpenAI, which both men helped... Read More

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