Business
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff sells a piece of his ownership stake to CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff is bringing in new team ownership, selling a portion of his holdings to CrowdStrike founder and CEO George Kurtz, the executives told CNBC Thursday.
Kurtz’s personal acquisition expands a partnership between the auto racing team and software provider that dates to 2019. It also expands the tech industry’s push into global motorsport. The financial terms of Kurtz’s investment were not disclosed, but a person familiar with the matter told CNBC the deal values the Mercedes team at $6 billion.
“You have all these new fans coming in,” Kurtz said. “The reason why CrowdStrike is involved in Formula One is [because] there is a return… We perfected that, and we want to bring that to the United States, to the tech market, and have other partnerships that can exploit that and make the best of Formula One.”
Mercedes said Thursday that Kurtz acquired a 15% minority interest in Wolff’s controlled ownership entity, which represents one third of the team — making Kurtz’s share 5%. Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant INEOS each also own one third.
Mercedes’ British driver George Russell races during the first practice session for the Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix on November 16, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images
Kurtz will become a technology advisor for Mercedes F1, helping broaden the team’s work in data analytics as the sport becomes increasingly tech-driven with more simulation-heavy and AI-led development processes. He’ll join a committee that includes Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius, INEOS founder Jim Ratcliffe and Wolff. Governance of the team remains unchanged.
The team said Kurtz will also focus on expanding its U.S. and global tech partnerships. CrowdStrike provides AI-powered protection for the team’s infrastructure.
“[I] couldn’t be more excited about something that’s been in the making for a bit, and it really comes off the heels of a long-term partnership that we have at CrowdStrike with Mercedes,” Kurtz said in an interview with CNBC Thursday.
Kurtz is unusual among billionaire investors in that he’s a competitive racer himself. He has won major endurance events, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, Petit Le Mans, the Six Hours of the Glen and the Indianapolis 8 Hour, and secured multiple series titles in 2023.
The ownership shuffle comes as Mercedes tries to climb back toward the top of motorsport after falling behind McLaren and Red Bull in recent seasons. The team won eight straight constructors’ titles from 2014 to 2021 but hasn’t won since. A 2026 regulations and engine overhaul has raised expectations for a turnaround.
“We’re the only sport that combines the cutting-edge technology, science and the gladiator in the car and the people’s business,” Wolff said. “Next year, particularly, you know, these challenges that come towards us are huge. We will be having an engine that is 50% electric with 100% sustainable fuel, a car that will generate its downforce while, at the same time, maximum downforce, while at the same time trying to save, you know, some of the electric energy.”
F1’s popularity in America continues to surge, fueled by Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” docuseries, Apple’s blockbuster “F1: The Movie” release, three U.S. races on the calendar and the addition of a Cadillac-sponsored team next year.
Disclosure: CNBC is a sponsor of the McLaren Formula 1 racing team. Sara Eisen is a member of the McLaren Advisory Board.
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon speaks during an interview at the Economic Club of Washington in Washington, D.C., U.S., Oct. 30, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
Goldman Sachs is scheduled to report fourth-quarter earnings before the opening bell Thursday.
Here’s what Wall Street expects:
- Earnings: $11.67 per share, according to LSEG
- Revenue: $13.79 billion, according to LSEG
- Trading revenue: Fixed income of $2.93 billion, equities of $3.70 billion, per StreetAccount
- Investing banking fees: $2.58 billion, per StreetAccount
Goldman Sachs is set up to be a beneficiary of several trends in the fourth quarter.
Trading desks across Wall Street have benefited in the last year as President Donald Trump’s policies have roiled markets for bonds, currencies, commodities and stocks.
For instance, rival JPMorgan Chase topped expectations for fourth-quarter results on equities and fixed income trading revenue that exceeded the StreetAccount estimate by a combined $460 million.
Global investment banking revenue in the quarter was 12% higher than a year ago, according to Dealogic, which should provide a boost to Goldman’s advisory business.
The firm’s asset and wealth management division should also see gains as stock market levels remained buoyant in the quarter.
Finally, the bank said last week that its deal to offload its Apple Card business to JPMorgan would result in a 46-cents-per-share boost to quarterly results.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
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X decision came after facing outrage over the misuse of Grok, where the AI Chatbot was found to be complying with user requests to digitally undress images of real people.
Elon Musk’s Grok can no longer undress images of real people on X. (Representative Image)
Amid the rising concerns over the sexualised AI deepfakes in countries including the UK and US, Elon Musk’s Grok artificial intelligence chatbot will no longer edit “images of real people in revealing clothing” on X, the company confirmed Wednesday evening.
The company’s decision came after facing global outrage over the misuse of Grok, where the AI Chatbot was found to be complying with user requests to digitally undress images of adults and, in some cases, children.
“We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis. This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers,” X wrote via its Safety team account.
Within the last week xAi, which owns both Grok and X, restricted image generation for Grok on X to paying X premium subscribers
CNN reported that it has been observed that in the last few days, Grok’s X account had modified how it responded in general to users’ image generation requests, even for those subscribed to X premium.
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United States of America (USA)
January 15, 2026, 08:34 IST
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Elon Musk’s AI model Grok will no longer be able to edit photos of real people to show them in revealing clothing, after widespread concern over sexualised AI deepfakes in countries including the UK and US.
“We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis.
“This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers,” reads an announcement on X, which operates the Grok AI tool.
The change was announced hours after California’s top prosecutor said the state was probing the spread of sexualised AI deepfakes, including of children, generated by the AI model.
The update expands measures that stop all users, including paid subscribers, editing images of real people in revealing outfits.
X, formerly known as Twitter, also reiterated in a statement on Wednesday that only paid users will be able to edit images using Grok on its platform.
This will add an extra layer of protection by helping to ensure that those who try and abuse Grok to violate the law or X’s policies are held accountable, it said.
Users who try to generate images of real people in bikinis, underwear and similar clothing using Grok will be stopped from doing so according to the laws of their jurisdiction, X’s statement said.
In a statement on Wednesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said: “This material, which depicts women and children in nude and sexually explicit situations, has been used to harass people across the internet.”
Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked access to the chatbot over the images and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned X could lose the “right to self regulate” amid outrage over the AI images.
Britain’s media regulator, Ofcom, said on Monday that it would investigate whether X had failed to comply with UK law over the sexual images.
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