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Florida Attorney General Targets Roblox With Criminal Subpoenas Over Child Safety Concerns

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Florida’s Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that his office has issued criminal subpoenas to Roblox Corp, accusing the gaming platform of becoming a “breeding ground for predators” that endangers children. In a statement shared on X, Uthmeier condemned the company, saying Roblox “enabled our kids to be abused” while profiting from them.

The subpoenas aim to uncover evidence about alleged criminal activities on the platform, including communications between suspected predators and victims. Roblox, which has over 70 million daily users — most of them minors — has been under growing scrutiny over child safety.

Concerns about the platform intensified after a Hindenburg Research report last year accused Roblox of failing to protect its young audience. In response, Roblox increased investments in user protection, implementing tighter messaging restrictions for children under 13, AI-based monitoring, and strict content moderation.

In a statement to Reuters, Roblox emphasized that it prohibits image and video sharing in chat, blocks personal information exchange, and is working on age estimation systems for users. “While no system is perfect, our teams and automated tools continuously monitor communications,” the company said.

The controversy extends beyond U.S. borders: Iraq banned Roblox this week, claiming its chat features expose children to exploitation and cyber-extortion. Meanwhile, Roblox faces multiple U.S. lawsuits — including in Louisiana and San Francisco — alleging the company fails to prevent sexual predators from targeting minors.

Super Micro to File Delayed Annual Report by February Deadline, Shares Rise

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Super Micro Computer (SMCI.O) announced on Tuesday that it expects to file its delayed annual and quarterly reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by the February 25 deadline, leading to an 8% surge in its shares after hours. The server maker had previously missed the deadline for its 10-K report after receiving subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Justice and the SEC, following short-seller Hindenburg Research’s allegations of “accounting manipulation” in August. Super Micro confirmed that it is cooperating with the authorities’ requests for documents.

The company, based in San Jose, California, also reduced its revenue forecast for fiscal 2025 due to delays in the availability of Nvidia’s (NVDA.O) Blackwell processors, a key component for its AI server systems. While the delay in filing the report was a “distraction,” Super Micro’s financial chief, David Weigand, explained that the primary issue was the delay in technology availability. Despite the challenges, Super Micro announced the full production availability of its AI server systems powered by Nvidia’s Blackwell chips last week.

Super Micro, a beneficiary of the growing demand for advanced data center infrastructure to support generative AI, now faces increasing competition from rivals like Dell (DELL.N) and HP Enterprise (HPE.N). The company has revised its fiscal 2025 net sales forecast to a range of $23.5 billion to $25 billion, down from its previous projection of $26 billion to $30 billion. The midpoint of this forecast, $24.25 billion, falls below analysts’ expectation of $24.92 billion.

For the third quarter, Super Micro is projecting net sales of $5 billion to $6 billion, lower than analysts’ estimate of $6.09 billion. In December, the company was removed from the Nasdaq-100 Index after missing its initial deadline for filing the 10-K report, though it received an extension until February 25.

Hindenburg Alleges Conflict of Interest Involving India’s Market Regulator Chief in Adani Group Scandal

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Hindenburg Research, a U.S.-based short-seller, has leveled serious allegations against Madhabi Puri Buch, the head of India’s market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The report, released on Saturday, claims that Buch previously held investments in offshore funds linked to the Adani Group, raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest in the ongoing investigations into the conglomerate.

According to Hindenburg, whistleblower documents suggest that Buch and her husband were investors in a sub-fund of the Bermuda-based Global Opportunities Fund, which allegedly had ties to entities connected to the Adani Group. The report alleges that Buch made these investments in 2015, two years before she joined SEBI. Hindenburg also claims that in 2017, just before Buch was appointed as a full-time SEBI member, her husband requested sole control over the account associated with these investments. In 2018, Buch reportedly sought to redeem her husband’s entire investment in the fund.

In response to these allegations, Buch released a personal statement on Sunday, categorically denying any wrongdoing. She stated that all her financial disclosures have been made in accordance with regulations and that the investments in question were made in a private capacity long before her tenure at SEBI. The regulator also urged investors to remain calm and exercise due diligence before reacting to such reports.

The Adani Group, which has faced multiple allegations from Hindenburg in the past, swiftly rejected the new claims. The conglomerate’s spokesperson dismissed the allegations as “baseless” and a deliberate attempt to damage the company’s reputation. The spokesperson reiterated that the Adani Group had no commercial relationship with the individuals or matters mentioned in the report.

This latest development has reignited calls from India’s opposition parties for a parliamentary investigation into the Adani Group and the potential conflicts of interest involving SEBI’s leadership. The main opposition Congress party has previously accused the Adani Group of having close ties with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), allegations both the company and the party have denied. In light of the new allegations, the Congress party has demanded a thorough inquiry to ensure transparency and eliminate any conflicts of interest in the ongoing SEBI investigation.

The controversy surrounding the Adani Group intensified earlier this year when Hindenburg released a report accusing the conglomerate of stock manipulation and improper use of tax havens, leading to a significant drop in its market value. Despite partial recovery, the group remains under scrutiny, with several of its companies receiving notices from SEBI for alleged violations of stock market rules. Hindenburg’s latest report, which attempts to link the Adani Group’s offshore funds with personal investments made by Buch, further complicates the ongoing investigations.