*By Amanda Weston*
Microsoft inked three major partnerships in just one month ー and each union has a common theme, according to the company's executive vice president of worldwide commercial business.
"I think to sum it up, we're about empowerment," Judson Althoff told Cheddar. "We're about empowering our customers to achieve their potential."
On Jan. 15, Microsoft ($MSFT) and WBA teamed up to improve health care for customers.
Just about a week earlier, Microsoft and Kroger opened up two digital stores. Customers can use the Scan, Bag, and Go app to use their shopping lists to find the most efficient way around the store.
The company's latest deal involved Albertsons. As part of the [three-year agreement](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/23/microsoft-signs-cloud-deal-with-albertsons.html), the supermarket chain will make Microsoft's Azur its preferred public cloud.
"We couldn't be more excited about the recent partnership that we announced with Walgreens and Walgreens Boots Alliance, not just because it'll enable us to help them transform their business and how they engage in retail, but frankly what it stands to bear for the promise of the entire health care industry," Althoff said.
"Lower health care costs, better care have often been the promise of this industry, and we are really excited that our technology can actually enable WBA to deliver that and make it a reality for consumers around the world."
The tech giant has seen significant momentum with the cloud. It currently works with major brands like Starbucks ($SBUX), Volkswagen, and Walmart ($WMRT), to help grow their businesses. The company said more than 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies have Microsoft Cloud.
But Althoff said it's only the beginning.
"We're excited about the momentum that we're seeing right now and we're bullish about the future," he said. "You have to keep in mind that we're really sort of just a few minutes into the first quarter of this cloud evolution in the market that you're seeing right now."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/microsoft-gains-cloud-momentum-with-new-health-partnership).
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickup trucks across the U.S. because of an instrument panel display failure that’s resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
Nvidia reported a 56% increase in second-quarter revenue and a 59% rise in net income compared to a year ago.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos claims audiences don't want to watch Netflix movies in theaters, but that seems not to be the case recently.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
