LinkedIn billionaire bankrolls voting firm Smartmatic as it fights Fox News in 2020 election defamation case
CNN
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman is providing significant financial firepower to Smartmatic as the voting technology company fights Fox News and Newsmax over the right-wing networks’ repeated airing of 2020 election lies.
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman is providing significant financial firepower to Smartmatic as the voting technology company fights Fox News and Newsmax over the right-wing networks’ repeated airing of 2020 election lies. Hoffman, a billionaire venture capitalist and prominent Democratic donor, framed his multimillion-dollar investment in Smartmatic as a way to strengthen the company’s global operations as it pursues the costly defamation lawsuits. “Smartmatic built a global business by using technology to better engage citizens, regardless of party or ideology, by making voting simple and trustworthy,” Hoffman said in a statement. “After Donald Trump lost in 2020, however, Smartmatic became a target of the defamatory campaign to overturn his defeat.” Hoffman, who said he has known Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica for years, said he is “thrilled” to support Smartmatic and help Mugica recover “what he is owed.” Terms of the investment, first reported by The Washington Post, were not disclosed. A person with knowledge of the matter wouldn’t say exactly how much money Hoffman poured into Smartmatic but told CNN the eight-figure investment surpassed $10 million.
Nippon Steel is expected to re-file its application for a national security review by American regulators of its $15 billion takeover bid of US Steel, sources familiar with the matter told CNN on Tuesday, buying Japan’s largest steelmaker an additional 90 days to close its acquisition of an American rival after political opposition emerged in an election year.
So far, the attacks that targeted Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah members through their pagers have had devastating consequences. At least nine people, including an eight-year-old girl, were killed, and at least 2,800 were wounded. Over 150 of those injured are in critical condition, according to the Lebanese health minister.