Remote workers find raises elusive

Most remote employees say the work-life balance of their arrangement is rewarding. But they may be missing out on monetary rewards.

A Resume Builder survey found that 92% of fully remote workers like working from home. By contrast, only 35% of in-office employees were happy with their work setup. As for hybrid employees who work both remotely and in-office, 69% were satisfied with their situation.

But remote working comes at a cost. Remote workers were least likely to receive promotions and raises, Resume Builder said. And when they did get raises, they were lower than those received by in-office workers. Still, only 36% of remote workers said they would look for a new job this year. By contrast, 52% of in-office workers expect to be actively job searching.

Hogwarts top-selling game in 2023

Harry Potter can still cast a spell, even when the boy wizard doesn’t make an appearance. Hogwarts Legacy, which takes place in the Harry Potter universe a century before Harry was born, was the top selling video game of 2023, according to industry analyst Circana. Overall, spending on video games, hardware and accessories brought in $57.2 billion last year, up 1% from 2022, Circana said.

OpenAI forges first university partnership

ChatGPT owner OpenAI has entered into a partnership with Arizona State University, its first collaboration with a college. ASU president Michael Crow said the artificial intelligence assistant will “help students to learn, learn more quickly and understand subjects more thoroughly.” ChatGPT will also be used as a tool for faculty research projects. OpenAI said the ASU collaboration will help it work “towards expanding ChatGPT's impact in higher education.”

EU likely to block Amazon-Roomba deal

European officials told Amazon that its proposed $1.4 billion acquisition of Roomba maker iRobot Corp. will be blocked by the European Union’s antitrust regulator over concerns the deal will harm other robot vacuum makers. The deal faces opposition in the United States as well, where the Federal Trade Commission is drafting a lawsuit that would seek to block the acquisition. — BLOOMBERG NEWS