FTI Consulting News Bytes – 23 January 2026

FTI Consulting News Bytes

This week’s newsletter dives into a mix of Davos discussions, a broadcasting showdown, UK tech investment, social media regulation and the space race. Tech leaders, including Larry Fink, Satya Nadella, Demis Hassabis and Dario Amodei, discussed how AI could deepen inequality, reshape jobs, and concentrate power unless its benefits are spread beyond big tech and international cooperation improves. Elsewhere, Netflix has shifted to an all‑cash bid for Warner Bros Discovery as Paramount continues to circle with a potential counter-offer. The UK government has launched a consultation on under‑16s’ social media use alongside a major Cambridge study tracking teen behaviour. Meanwhile, the UK has taken a £25 million “bet” in Octopus Energy’s Kraken platform to keep high-growth tech rooted at home. And in orbit, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has unveiled TeraWave, a 5,400‑satellite network setting its sights on Elon Musk’s Starlink with fast global connectivity. 

This week’s news

Tech leaders in conversation at Davos

Larry Fink, who opened this year’s Davos proceedings, warned that AI could deepen wealth inequality, calling it capitalism’s “next biggest failure” if left unchecked. In his address to attendees, he also argued that international cooperation is essential in a complex geopolitical landscape, saying that without it, “China wins”. In the same conversation, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella raised concerns about an AI bubble and soaring tech valuations, stating the best way to avoid a bubble is to ensure AI’s benefits are “more evenly spread” across sectors beyond technology. Fink echoed the point, warning that “if technology is just the domain of the six hyperscalers, we will fail.” In a separate panel, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei expressed their views on job displacement implicated by AI, sharing that they could already see early signs of AI taking over junior roles at their companies.   

Netflix switches to all-cash offer for Warner Bros 

Netflix has sought to fend off Paramount’s bid for Warner Bros by submitting an updated all-cash offer for Warner Bros Discovery’s (‘WBD’) streaming and film business. The move amends the streaming giant’s original $82.7bn offer, which would have funded the transaction using a mix of cash and shares. A joint Netflix and Warner Bros statement said that the change would provide more “greater value certainty” to shareholders and enable them to vote the deal through more quickly. As reported by the Financial Times, Paramount is rumoured to be preparing an improved bid for the entirety of WBD, with suggestions that it has also secured direct shareholder support. The article added that since Netflix announced its pursuit of WBD, the Company has lost more than a quarter of its value.  

Under-16s social media ban takes another turn 

As the furore around the potential ban on social media use for under-16s rumbles on, the UK government has announced a consultation to identify the next steps in its plan to boost children’s wellbeing online, ensuring they have a healthy relationship with mobile phones and social media. In tandem with this, the University of Cambridge will lead a study of about 4,000 children across 30 secondary schools in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The Guardian reports that the study will involve pupils downloading a research app that will track their social media use, or it will curtail their social media use by limiting access to certain apps to one hour a day, as well as imposing a curfew from 9pm to 7am. 

UK’s British Business Bank takes £25mn stake in Octopus Energy’s tech arm Kraken 

Government backed British Business Bank has committed to investing £25 million in Kraken Technologies as part of its $1 billion demerger from Octopus Energy. In an article by the Financial Times, the Business Secretary, Peter Kyle, said that the investment was intended to “help them scale up and…to keep them here in the UK”. The move follows comments last month by Octopus Energy founder Greg Jackson, who accused the London Stock Exchange of lacking sufficient “hustle” and described the decision between listing in London or New York as a close call. The Telegraph reports that the investment, made through the British Business Bank, is the bank’s largest direct investment in a business to date. Jackson said that the investment would help Kraken “cement its position as a UK-founded, UK-funded success story”.  

Bezos’ Blue Origin announces satellite rival to Musk’s Starlink 

The BBC reports that Blue Origin plans to create a new communications network called TeraWave, launching more than 5,400 satellites to offer global internet coverage. TeraWave will be focused on data centres, businesses and governments. In a satellite internet market dominated by Elon Musk’s Starlink, Bezos’ satellites would still have fewer in orbit than Starlink. Nonetheless, TeraWave’s network at maximum speed would allow upload and download speeds of up to 6 terabits per second, much faster than rival commercial satellite offerings. The satellites are set to start launching by the end of 2027. 

Top Tweets of the Week

• New York Times: “In @nytopinion One year ago, President Trump took an oath to serve the American people. Instead, he used the presidency to enrich himself, the @nytimes editorial board writes. This is how Trump has pocketed at least $1.4 billion.”
• OpenAI: “We’re rolling out age prediction on ChatGPT to help determine when an account likely belongs to someone under 18, so we can apply the right experience and safeguards for teens. Adults who are incorrectly placed in the teen experience can confirm their age in Settings > Account. Rolling out globally now. EU to follow in the coming weeks.”
• Justin Hotard, President and CEO of Nokia: “Thank you @cnbcKaren and Steve Sedgwick for a great discussion @wef #Davos26 on why winning in 6G matters for Physical AI — and why scale is critical for Europe’s competitiveness. @CNBC”

Number of the week

£25.6bn The amount of funding capacity the British Business Bank has, giving it a far bigger mandate to back companies that drive growth. (FT)