• Microsoft may be hungry for gaming content to build out its Xbox subscription service, but don't expect to see any mega acquisitions.
• It just doesn't make much sense economically for Microsoft to buy one of the bigger video game publishers, according to Morgan Stanley.
• In particular, Morgan Stanley analyzed what it would take for Microsoft to justify buying a hypothetical gaming company valued at $39 billion. 
• Microsoft would need 100 million subscribers to justify the expense, according to the report. That's 1/3 of the total console gaming population, and an unlikely goal.

Microsoft is hunting acquisitions to build out its gaming business, which Morgan Stanley estimates to be worth $40 billion to $45 billion.

But don't expect it to buy Electronic Arts or Activision.

The economics of buying a big gaming company don't make much sense for Microsoft, which makes a "large content acquisition less likely than investors believe," Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss said in a note published Monday

That means Microsoft will probably focus on smaller gaming publishers in its quest to turn Xbox into the Netflix of video games and beat out its biggest competitor, Sony.

"Bottom-line — the economics of driving a strong return from such an acquisition appear challenging," Weiss wrote. "Microsoft would have to pay for revenue streams which couldn't be replicated post acquisition."

Morgan Stanley drew this conclusion after creating a model for what it would take to acquire a hypothetical publisher valued at $39 billion — a midway point between EA's $31 billion market cap and Activation's' $53 billion market cap.

The model showed that Microsoft would have to get 100 million subscribers to its gaming platform in four years in order to justify the expense of a large acquisition. Microsoft would likely struggle to attract such a large userbase, according to the note, since it represents 1/3 of the estimated total console gaming population.

And while adding games like Madden and Call of Duty to its subscription service would likely attract new customers, it probably wouldn't be enough to offset the cost.

This is in part because an acquisition of that size would require Microsoft to pay a premium of around 25%, according to the note. And whatever company it acquired would likely lose some of its revenue streams once its licensing rights are restricted to Microsoft. 

So if Microsoft wants to keeping building out its proprietary gaming content, it will likely keep targeting smaller studios.

The company has already made a play for smaller publishers. In June, it announced a new internal studio called "The Initiative," as well as the acquisition of four smaller content studios: Ninja Theory, Playground Games, Undead Labs, and Compulsion Games.

And Microsoft is rumored to be in talks to acquire Obsidian Entertainment, according to Kotaku.

SEE ALSO: Insiders are 'shocked' that Adobe is paying nearly $5 billion for Marketo, a deal that Salesforce and SAP also looked over

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Ray Dalio says the economy looks like 1937 and a downturn is coming in about two years

• Jacob Stockdale, who once appeared on "Wife Swap" has been arrested in connection to the death of his mom and brother.
• Authorities believe that in June 2017, Stockdale shot his mother Kathryn and his brother Jacob.
• On September 27, he turned himself in after a county grand jury issued a secret indictment.
• He was booked on two counts of murder and a firearm specification.
• The Stockdale family appeared on "Wife Swap" in 2008.

A man who once appeared on "Wife Swap" with his family has been arrested in connection to the death of his mom and brother, according to a press release from the Stark County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities believe that Jacob Stockdale, 26, shot his mother Kathryn, 54, and his brother James, 21, in their Bethlehem Township, Ohio,  home in June 2017. Then, police say, Stockdale shot himself. He has been recovering from the self-inflicted wound since.

According to CBS, Stockdale's father Timothy was not home at the time of the alleged shooting. His older brothers were also not home and no longer live in the area, per CBS.

The Stockdale family appeared in an episode of "Wife Swap" that originally aired in 2008. The program features two families with different backgrounds who swap wives for two weeks. 

On the show, the Stockdale family was depicted as devoutly religious. At the time the show aired, the family had recently moved to Ohio and was homeschooling their children to keep them "away from violent language, sexual influences, drinking, smoking, drugs, rap music," according to the "family manual" they used on the show.

The family also had a gospel bluegrass band, which Jacob played the fiddle in.

Stockdale turned himself into police on September 27  after a county grand jury issued a secret indictment, according to a statement from the Stark County Sheriff's office. He was booked on two counts of murder and a firearm specification.

"It is our hope that this arrest offers some closure to the Stockade family and the entire community," Sheriff George Maier said in the press release.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a Hollywood makeup artist turns actors into zombies

Join the conversation about this story »

• For the third time in program history, the Kansas Jayhawks headline the AP Top 25 preseason poll with 37 first-place votes.
• No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 3 Gonzaga, and No. 4 Duke appeared in the top four spots — in various combinations — across nearly half of the ballots.
• Although the Jayhawks lost three of last season's starters, they have added three notable transfers and the fifth-ranked recruiting class to pair with their returning starters from last year's Final Four squad.

In most recent years, the conversation at the start of the college basketball season surrounds one mega team that is destined to dominate the rest of the field. 

But not this year.

For the first time since the 2004-05 season, seven different teams received first-place votes in the AP Top 25 preseason poll. While the Kansas Jayhawks came out on top with 37 votes for the top spot, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 4 Duke, No. 5 Virginia, No. 6 Tennessee, and No. 9 Villanova all received at least one first-place vote.

That being said, voters seemed to reach a consensus with the top four teams. Kansas, Kentucky, Gonzaga, and Duke appeared in the top four spots — in various combinations — across nearly half of the ballots.

Although the Jayhawks lost three of last season's starters — including AP All-American Devonte' Graham — they have added three notable transfers and the No. 5 recruiting class to pair with upperclassmen starters Udoka Azubuike and Lagerald Vick from last year's Final Four squad.

For his part, Hall of Fame coach Bill Self did not seem to expect his team to take the top spot this early on:

"Obviously we lost a lot off last year's team with Devonte', Svi [Mykhailiuk] and Malik [Newman], so I'm a little surprised that the writers put us there this preseason," Self told the AP's Aaron Beard. "It's definitely a spot we welcome and certainly know the goal is to be playing to that ranking by when it counts the most. With the young players, we know it's going to take some time before we're anywhere close to where we're going to be, but I do like this team and I think we have a chance to be very good."

Although they haven't sat atop the preseason poll since the 2014-15 season, the No. 2 Wildcats have found themselves in the preseason top 5 for the last eight years, while the No. 4 Blue Devils — who topped the rankings in each of the past two years — have been a top-10 team in the each of the last 23 preseason polls. Third-ranked Gonzaga, meanwhile, earned its highest ranking in a preseason AP poll in program history.

Here's the entire AP Top 25:

1. Kansas (37)

2. Kentucky (19)

3. Gonzaga (1)

4. Duke (4)

5. Virginia (2)

6. Tennessee (1)

7. Nevada

8. North Carolina

9. Villanova (1)

10. Michigan State

11. Auburn

12. Kansas State

13. West Virginia

14. Oregon

15. Virginia Tech

16. Syracuse

17. Florida State

18. Mississippi State

19. Michigan

20. TCU

21. UCLA

22. Clemson

23. LSU

24. Purdue

25. Washington

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What it takes to be an NFL referee

• The operation that led to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death was reportedly coordinated via Skype by one of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's top aides, Reuters reports. 
• Saud al-Qahtani, 40, reportedly directed the operation via Skype, and at one point allegedly said, "Bring me the head of the dog."
• Qahtani's close relationship to Prince Mohammed makes it harder for the Saudis to distance the crown prince from the deadly operation. 

The operation that led to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death was reportedly coordinated via Skype by one of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's top aides, Reuters reports. 

Saud al-Qahtani, 40, reportedly hurled insults at Khashoggi via Skype as the journalist was interrogated, and Khashoggi defiantly answered him in kind, according to what Arab and Turkish intelligence sources told Reuters. 

Qahtani at one point told his men to "dispose" of Khashoggi and allegedly said, "Bring me the head of the dog."  Some earlier reports suggested Khashoggi was beheaded before being dismembered. 

Qahtani, who has helped oversee a number of operations for the 33-year-old crown prince, was reportedly among five officials fired by the Saudi government on Saturday in relation to Khashoggi's death. 

He ran the crown prince's social media, and was reportedly involved in the controversial kidnapping of the prime minister of Lebanon. Qahtani's close relationship to Prince Mohammed will seemingly make it difficult for the Saudis to distance the crown prince from the deadly incident, which the Saudi foreign minister described as a "rogue operation" in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.  

Qahtani's Twitter bio recently changed from royal adviser to chairman of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, which is a position he previously held, Reuters reports. 

The Saudis are maintaining that the crown prince, who's suspected of orchestrating the events to led to Khashoggi's death, did not have any prior knowledge of the operation. 

Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Turkish officials subsequently accused Saudi Arabia of sending in a 15-man hit team to brutally kill the journalist, who was often critical of the Saudi government in his reporting. 

For nearly three weeks, the Saudis issued strong denials of any involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance. But on Friday the Saudi government officially confirmed Khashoggi's death, and claimed he died as a result of a fistfight with men in the consulate. This claim has been met with widespread skepticism.

The Saudis have also claimed the men involved in Khashoggi's death attempted to cover it up, and have arrested 18 people in connection with the incident. 

SEE ALSO: Top Saudi official describes Khashoggi's death as a 'murder' for the first time

DON'T MISS: Here's everything we know about the troubling disappearance and death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Inside the Trump 'MAGA' hat factory

• YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki wrote a letter to YouTube videomakers asking them for help fighting proposed changes to copyright in Europe. 
• The letter comes at a time when YouTube's prospects are fraught with regulatory troubles. 
• It's doubtful that YouTube users can sway European regulators. The company's credibility is largely shot there.
• If Google is going to improve its position in Europe, it's largely going to be done at the negotiating table and through changes to its business practices.

Google’s business prospects in Europe seem to grow bleaker all the time.

The company faces multiple probes, fines, and new rules that could raise costs and slice into revenue.

On Monday, Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, appealed for help from the people who post clips to the web’s top video-sharing site.

In a blog post to YouTube’s creators, Wojcicki wrote that a new piece of legislation in Europe threatens to “shut down the ability of millions of people ... to upload content to platforms like YouTube,” and is “a threat to both your livelihood and your ability to share your voice with the world ... tell the world through social media and your channel why the creator economy is important and how this legislation will impact you."

Wojcicki is referring to is Article 13, a proposed law in the European Union that throws more responsibility for fighting copyright violations on to social networks like Facebook and video-sharing platforms like YouTube.

Wojcicki’s claim that Article 13 would break the internet is part of a familiar strategy. A decade ago, the US film and music sectors pushed hard for a law that gave law enforcement the power to shut down suspected pirate sites, but Google, Wikipedia, and their allies whipped up opposition and killed it.

But her plea now is unlikely to bring the same success. Google, YouTube’s parent company, has suffered multiple hits to its credibility the past year.

• Google and the company’s allies are accused of employing bots to send emails to European lawmakers and post scores of Twitter comments to give the impression Article 13 is unpopular.
• Like a lot of big US tech companies operating in Europe, Google is accused of abusing tax loopholes.
• The company has been hit with multiple fines for alleged anti-competitive practices dealing with the popular Android mobile operating system and Google Search.
• Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal revealed Google managers knew about a security lapse for seven months at Google+, the company’s now defunct social network, but refused to inform users.

In all cases, the company has denied it broke any rules.

The company has also tried working things out at the negotiating table.

YouTube has tried to improve its relationship with the big entertainment companies. The big music labels are impressed by the money brought in by streaming-subscription services, such as Spotify. So YouTube launched a similar service.

And last week, the video-sharing service made it easier for users to buy concert tickets on the site.

See Also:

• Google shutters the Google+ social network after Wall Street Journal reports a huge security lapse
• YouTube's plan to replace cable TV just took a big leap forward — but it also exposed a critical turf war for the future of television

SEE ALSO: Google will charge phone makers money for its Android apps in Europe — an unprecedented change that it says is to comply with regulators

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How Sony created the perfect video game controller

• In the early days of artificial intelligence, enterprise software providers such as Salesforce have a leg up on cloud services providers such as Amazon.
• Among the early adopters of AI technologies, the most popular way to gain access to such capabilities is from enterprise software providers — not the cloud companies, according to a new study from Deloitte.
• Many of these early adopters are also trying to build their own AI capabilities.

Cloud giants Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are all touting their artificial intelligence bona fides. 

But the companies that are already embracing AI technologies are more frequently turning to the likes of SAP and Salesforce for such capabilities.

Although many of those early adopter corporations are tapping into the AI technologies of the cloud service providers, more of them are getting such features from enterprise software companies, according to a new study from consulting firm Deloitte. For many corporations, that's "perhaps the easiest path" to incorporating AI into their businesses, analysts Jeff Loucks, Tom Davenport, and David Schatsky said in the report.

"These systems have the advantage of access to immense data sets (often their own customers' data), and can often be used 'out of the box' by employees with no specialized knowledge," they said.

For the study, Deloitte in the third quarter surveyed some 1,100 executives at US companies representing 10 different industries. All those surveyed represented companies that are already testing or using AI in at least one of their business functions.

Some 59% of those surveyed said they were using AI from the provider of their customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, or other enterprise software. Among the enterprise software firms that offer such capabilities is Salesforce, whose Salesforce Einstein can help companies identify which potential clients are most likely to sign up as customers; and SAP, whose Leonard machine learning technology can help companies analyze their data.

Still, many of the AI earlier adopters are also tapping into the capabilities of the cloud vendors such as Amazon and Google. That was the third most popular method of getting access to such technologies, cited by some 49% of those surveyed. 

In many cases, though, executives at the early adopters indicated that they feel a need to develop their own AI technologies, rather than relying on those solely created by other companies. The second most popular way executives named for developing or acquiring AI was to codevelop it with partners; 53% of those surveyed said that was what their companies were doing. Meanwhile, some 49% of companies said they were using open-source tools to develop AI capabilities, and 39% said they were using crowdsourcing services.

Now read:

• The head of tech of one of the world's largest consulting firms says the business world's most overhyped new technology is also the most important
• These charts show how pumped up HR departments are about AI — even if many of them are still relying on paper documents
• The best way to avoid killer robots and other dystopian uses for AI is to focus on all the good it can do for us, says tech guru Phil Libin
• Amazon's Alexa is getting smarter about sports — it can tell you the odds of the next NFL game and give you an update on your favorite teams

SEE ALSO: This former judge is heading the World Economic Forum's approach to AI — here's why she thinks regulation is unlikely, and what should be done about AI instead

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What marijuana looks like under the microscope

• Software company Atlassian saw its stock prices drop 14% on Friday a day after it announced earnings, and it has only slightly recovered since then.
• But with a price increase, new product and acquisition announcements, and a focus on the IT market, analysts see potential for growth next quarter.
• Also read: $20 billion Atlassian explains why it's blowing up its oldest product to evolve with today’s software teams

Australian team productivity software company Atlassian saw its stock drop 14% on Friday after it announced its earnings, falling from $81.89 on Thursday evening to $70.18 by the end of Friday. The stock has since rebounded slightly, and was trading at $72.64 on Monday evening.

Atlassian reported revenue that beat Wall Street analyst's expectations by 3%, but the beat left some investors disappointed.

"While they guided up, they didn’t guide as much as people had hoped and expected," Joel Fishbein, Jr., a software and cloud technology analyst at BTIG, told Business Insider. "The operating margins are a little bit less than what Wall Street had expected."

Here's what it reported:

• Revenue: $267.3 million. Analysts polled by Bloomberg were expecting $260 million.
• Net income per diluted share:$0.20. Wall Street forecasted $0.19 a share.
• Revenue guidance (next quarter):$287 million to $289 million. Analysts are predicting $281 million.
• Net income per diluted share guidance (next quarter):$0.21. Wall Street was forecasting $0.20 a share.

The question going forward is whether Atlassian can penetrate the IT market, analysts say. The company has strong product demand, according to Fishbein, and just before the end of the quarter, Atlassian increased pricing for its products, meaning there’s a potential upside to the numbers next quarter.

Atlassian is focused on serving the IT market. At the start of fiscal 2019, Atlassian announced its acquisition of IT alerts technology company OpsGenie for about $295 million and introduced a new incident management platform called Jira Ops. Atlassian also just revamped Jira, its oldest and most well-known software product. The first quarter is off to a strong start so far, Fishbein says.

This past year, Atlassian partnered with Slack, and one of Atlassian’s key products, Trello, saw its user base grow to over 35 million people. Atlassian also surpassed 100,000 cloud customers.  Morgan Stanley analysts also believe that Atlassian has strong growth potential, as there are 100 million technical users around the world up for grabs.

Also read:

• This Irish CEO explains how a barista in a hipster coffee shop inspired Intercom, a $1.3 billion startup
• Two software companies, fed up with Amazon, Alibaba and other big cloud players, have a controversial new plan to fight back

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why horseshoe crab blood is so expensive

We are hiring a video writing and producing intern with a focus on food for INSIDER, a distributed publication that delivers stories to readers across digital platforms.

The role includes finding and pitching ideas for INSIDER's food videos, as well as researching, writing, and producing scripts. Recent examples include videos about watermelon smoked to look like ham and a chef who ages steak in butter.

Writing interns work closely with video editors, but they do not need to have video-editing experience. We're looking for ambitious reporters who can find and chase great stories, and relay them to our audience in a compelling way. Our interns are an integral part of our team. We seek out self-starters and people who are enthusiastic about collaborating with video producers, social media editors, and other team members.

This internship position is at our headquarters in New York City. It starts in winter 2018 and runs for six months. Interns are encouraged to work full-time (40 hours a week) if their schedule allows.

INSIDER is great journalism about what passionate people actually want to know. That's everything from news to food, celebrity to science, politics to sports and all the rest. It's smart. It's fearless. It's fun. We push the boundaries of digital storytelling. Our mission is to inform and inspire. INSIDER is distributed across social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube, as well as on the web.

If this sounds like your dream job,apply here with a resume and cover letter telling us why you're a fit for INSIDER and detailing your interest in food.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's what caffeine does to your body and brain

• News Not Noise reporter Jessica Yellin announced Amy Schumer's pregnancy on Instagram on Monday. 
• The baby will be Schumer and her husband Chris Fischer's first child together. 
• Schumer publicly confirmed the pregnancy by saying she was looking forward to "competing with [Meghan] Markle every step of the way."

Amy Schumer and her husband Chris Fischer are expecting their first child together, the comedian announced on Monday through her friend's Instagram story.

News Not Noise reporter Jessica Yellin announced the pregnancy for Schumer in a story in which she detailed upcoming midterm election candidates.

"I wanted to share some news from our community, maybe it's noise but it's happy noise," Yellin said. "So I'm not in the business of making voting recommendations, but these are the recommendations of Amy Schumer, one of the most consistent and earliest supporters of News Not Noise. Now read all the way to the bottom, you’ll see there’s some news down there. Congratulations, Amy."

At the bottom of the note she posted on her story, it said: "I'm pregnant-Amy Schumer."

Ahead of Yellin's story, Schumer hinted at baby news on her own Instagram with a photoshopped picture of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, with her and Fischer's faces.

Schumer released a statement on her pregnancy to Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman. 

"Chris and I are thrilled and almost positive he's the father. I look forward to competing with Markle every step of the way," she said. 

Yellin later congratulated the couple on Twitter by re-posting the Instagram story.

Schumer and Fischer, a chef, tied the knot in a private ceremony in Malibu, California, on February 18.

At the time she had to deny pregnancy rumors after people questioned why she tied the knot so soon after she started dating Fischer.

The pair were first spotted together in November 2017 having a candlelit dinner in New York City.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 3 compelling reasons why we haven't found aliens yet

• The Mega Millions jackpot is up to $1.6 billion.
• The jackpot is so massive, at least before taxes, that it would theoretically be profitable to buy enough tickets to cover every one of the 302,575,350 possible combinations of Mega Millions numbers.
• There are, however, serious logistical problems with such a scheme, and there's a risk of splitting the jackpot and losing money, especially if someone else tries the same thing.

At the time of this writing, the headline Mega Millions jackpot is up to $1.6 billion, and the lump sum cash grand prize is estimated at $904 million.

In a Mega Millions drawing, five numbered balls are drawn from a drum with 70 balls, and a final bonus ball is drawn from a drum with 25 balls. If you match all six numbers, you win the full jackpot, and there are smaller fixed prizes awarded for matching some subset of the numbers.

There are 12,103,014 possible combinations of the first five numbers ranging from 1 to 70. Multiply that by the 25 options for the final ball and you get a total of 302,575,350 possible Mega Millions tickets.

At $2 for each ticket, then, it would be possible to buy every possible ticket for $605,150,700. As a journalist, I don't have that much money sitting around, but either a consortium of a few million Americans or a large and wealthy institution like a bank could conceivably assemble that level of cash.

With the sky-high jackpot in play, this actually at first glance guarantees a profit — at least before taxes. Since we've bought every ticket exactly once, we can see how much we will win based on the lump sum cash jackpot and the smaller prizes:

Indeed, this is something of a low-ball estimate. As we are buying another half-billion dollars' worth of tickets, part of that money will be added into the jackpot pool.

Of course, there are a few extra complications to this project.

Actually buying 300 million tickets

The first problem is the actual physical act of buying around 300 million Mega Millions tickets and filling them out by hand. Since we need to very carefully and systematically make sure we get every possible ticket, using the computer-generated random quick draw will not work for us.

According to Statista, Wells Fargo has about 232,321 employees. That means that there are about 1,302 possible Mega Millions tickets for each employee. If each employee spent 10 hours a day buying and filling out tickets for three days, this would mean each employee would need to fill out about 43 tickets per hour.

So while this would be extremely difficult to do and perhaps not the best use of a large organization's resources, it seems that it might be physically possible, if somewhat grueling, to actually buy every Mega Millions ticket.

Similarly, a large, decentralized consortium of several thousand or a few million Americans connected over the internet — something like an office Mega Millions pool on a mass scale — would be physically capable of buying 300 million lottery tickets.

Of course, the logistical coordination of such a consortium would be a daunting task, and one could imagine various legal and practical difficulties with distributing the money after the drawing.

Splitting the jackpot

The second and larger problem with our comprehensive Mega Millions scheme is the risk of splitting the jackpot. While the fixed prizes do provide about $75 million of our winnings, the overwhelming bulk of the money comes from the big prize.

That would mean splitting the jackpot two or more ways with other players would be absolutely devastating to our plan. A two-way split cash-prize jackpot would give us $452 million before taxes. Adding in the fixed prizes, we get a total of about $527 million in winnings, which is now less than the approximately $605 million cost of tickets, leaving us a loss of about $78 million.

The likelihood of splitting the pot is determined by how many other tickets are sold. Business Insider looked at this after the October 19 drawing in which there were no winners, paving the way to the current incredibly high jackpot. Following the logic from that post, we can estimate our odds of winning the jackpot alone based on a few guesses about ticket sales.

According to LottoReport.com, a site that tracks lottery sales and jackpots, 280,217,678 tickets were sold before Friday's drawing. With that many tickets sold, and under the assumption that everyone else playing Mega Millions is picking numbers more or less at random and independently from each other, there's just a 40% chance that we would be the only winner.

We could also expect that, with the $1.6 billion headline prize, even more tickets will be sold before Tuesday's drawing, greatly hurting our chances of walking away with the full jackpot without having to share.

Other people trying the same thing we are

The above analysis of our odds of splitting the pot assumed that all the other tickets sold were to normal people who would choose their numbers more or less at random. But seeing as we are going all in and buying every ticket, it's possible that someone else could be attempting this as well. There are, after all, several organizations in the US that have the financial and personnel resources to theoretically go out and buy 300 million Mega Millions tickets.

Of course, if two or more banks or consortia tried this plan, they would be certain to have to split the pot and thus lose a bunch of money. This situation is similar to the game Chicken, in which two drivers start out driving directly at each other. If one driver swerves while the other keeps going straight, the first driver "loses" and the second driver "wins." If both drivers swerve, the game is a draw. Naturally, if both drivers keep going straight, their cars crash and they die in a fiery wreck.

In Chicken, the strategy you adopt depends on what you think the other driver is going to do — assuming you're actually playing something as reckless and stupid as Chicken in the first place. If you think he's crazy enough to keep barreling forward, you should be more likely to swerve. If you believe, on the other hand, that he's going to veer out of the way first, then you might be more likely to keep driving straight.

Banks or billionaires with thousands of employees that are considering buying every Mega Millions ticket need to make a similar consideration. If there's a low likelihood that a competitor is going to also mobilize a small army of people in a bid to win a historically high lottery jackpot, then perhaps that risk is worth taking. If, on the other hand, we think that there might be not just one but several other wealthy organizations or people that are making similar plans to our own, we should stay out of the fray.

This used to be much easier

There actually is a precedent for someone buying every ticket in a lottery, thus ensuring that they would be holding a jackpot-winning ticket. Romanian mathematician Stefan Mandel managed to win the lottery 14 times in the 1980s and 90s through a scheme similar to the one considered above.

According to a profile of Mandel in The Hustle, he recruited investors to put up the money needed to buy every ticket in the Virginia lottery. Once the jackpot grew to $27 million in February 1992 — high enough to make the plan theoretically profitable — Mandel used a bank of computer printers to print out every single combination of numbers from that lottery. A group of couriers then dropped off thousands of tickets at a time at lottery retailers around the state.

Although logistical snags prevented all of the combinations from being entered in time, the consortium still won the $27 million prize.

However, there are two big reasons why it would be difficult to replicate Mandel's feat. First, the Virginia lottery at the time involved choosing six numbers from 1 to 44. That meant there were 7,059,052 possible tickets in that lottery. While that's a big number and a logistical hassle, it's far lower than the modern multi-state lotteries. Mega Millions' set of 302,575,350 possible tickets is about 43 times larger than the 1992 Virginia lottery.

Second, according to The Hustle, in the wake of Mandel's and similar consortium schemes, state lottery commissions adopted rules banning mass computer-printed lottery tickets. Any attempt to buy every lottery ticket now would require actually filling the tickets out by hand, adding a big hurdle to the strategy.

Read more of our Mega Millions coverage:

• The Mega Millions jackpot is $1.6 billion. We did the math to see if you should buy a ticket.
• The Mega Millions jackpot just hit $1.6 billion — here's how to play

• The record-high Mega Millions jackpot is worth $1.6 billion — here are 3 things you should do if you win
• No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot and it's ballooned to $1.6 billion — but if you do the math, that's not surprising at all

SEE ALSO: Scientists say winning the lottery does make people feel better about life — even though decades of evidence suggests otherwise

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Inside the Trump 'MAGA' hat factory

• The "Ultra Limited Edition" of "Devil May Cry 5" costs up to $7,978.79 for the most expensive version of the game.
• For the huge price tag, fans will get one of three replica costumes made with genuine leather, three printed posters, a copy of the game and exclusive character colors to use in-game.
• Reservations for the ultra limited edition are currently exclusive to Capcom's Japanese online store and will last until November. The game is due out in March 2019.

The Devil May Cry video game series is known for stylish action and the "Ultra Limited Edition" of the upcoming "Devil May Cry 5" wants to help fans capture the flair of their favorite characters, quite literally.

Capcom is now taking reservations for an "Ultra Limited Edition" of "Devil May Cry 5," with a choice of three replica coats based on the game's three playable characters, Dante, V, and Nero. Each of the coats is made of genuine leather and has been designed to match the character's outfit in the game, right down to the extra zippers and battle scars.

The price of the ultra limited edition varies depending on which character you chose. The cheapest package belongs to the newest character, V, and will run you $5,318.58. If you'd rather don the hoodie of DMC4's hero Nero, you'll need to fork over $6,649.02. Unsurprisingly the most expensive coat belongs to Dante, the series' original protagonist. Capcom is charging $7,978.79 for Dante's signature red trench coat.

All three ultra limited edition packages also come with a copy of the game for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One and three printed posters featuring art from the game. Capcom is also offering a limited edition package that comes with a much less cool short-sleeved button-up "work shirt," a copy of the game, and the posters for $105.07. Pre-orders from Capcom's eshop will also get an exclusive character color set to use in the game.

Reservations for the ultra limited edition of "Devil May Cry 5" went live on October 22 and will last until November 19. Since the package is currently exclusive to Japan, be sure to add the extra cost of importing before you order. All versions of "Devil May Cry 5" will launch on March 8 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. 

SEE ALSO: Google's new video-game streaming service could mark the beginning of the end for gaming consoles

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Apple's entire iPhone XS event in 8 minutes

• Austrian researchers have found evidence that tiny pieces of plastic can be found in human poop.
• Though the study analyzed the stool samples of only eight people, all of them tested positive for plastic.
• Plastic is harmful to marine life, but its effect on humans is still unknown.
• The World Health Organization launched an investigation earlier this year after a separate study found plastic in 90% of water bottles tested.

A group of Austrian researchers have found evidence that microplastics — extremely small pieces of plastic beads, fibers, or fragments — accumulate in human feces.

Scientists from the Environment Agency Austria and the Medical University of Vienna analyzed the poop samples of eight participants from all over the world, including Italy, Japan, Poland, the Netherlands, Russian, the United Kingdom, Finland, and Austria.

Throughout the study, the participants recorded what they ate in the week prior to their stool sampling. They all drank from plastic bottles or consumed plastic-wrapped foods in that time, according to the study. All eight stool samples tested positive for microplastics.

According to the study, published Monday in the United European Gastroenterology Journal, up to nine types of plastic were found in the poop samples. 

Researchers noted that the microplastics, which can form when larger pieces of plastic break down, could help transmit toxic chemicals and pathogens into the human body. They also noted that they could weaken the immune response of the gut.

Plastic manufacturing has skyrocketed around the world in the last two decades; almost half of all the plastic ever made has been manufactured in the 21st century. But only 20% of plastic is recycled, National Geographic reported, and people continue to buy a global average of nearly 1 million plastic bottles per minute.

About 18 billion pounds of plastic flow into oceans each year. After sea animals consume some of this plastic, humans are likely to ingest it through tuna, shrimp, or lobster, the study said. In addition, humans likely consume plastic that enters food products from food processing systems.

Monday's study may be the first to show the presence of plastics in the human gut, and it comes a few months after the World Health Organization announced it would investigate the potential effects of plastic on human health. The WHO launched the review in March after a separate study found microplastics in 90% of 259 bottles.

Previous studies have shown that plastic is present in the food and drinks we consume, including fish and water, though it remains unclear how microplastics affect our bodies.

SEE ALSO: Bottled water from major brands like Aquafina, Nestle, and Dasani contains tiny plastic particles — here's what that does to your body

SEE ALSO: SodaStream built a 1000-foot-long contraption called the 'Holy Turtle' to collect plastic from the ocean

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: One bite from this tick could ruin red meat for the rest of your life

• Google knows that one day ad sales will max out and growth will slow. The company is preparing for the day by diversifying its businesses
• Statista, a research firm that provides market and consumer data,  tracked Google's revenues derived from non-advertising businesses and built a chart to show where they fall as a percentage of Google's overall sales.
• The tally from all those side bets, and moonshots and ventures outside of the core competency may surprise you.   

Google's online advertising business mints tens of billions of dollars every year. 

But the company is is undergoing a metamorphosis.

The transformation of its business is already much further along than many people realize, as Google and parent company Alphabet's sprawling efforts start to bear fruit.

Check out this chart from research firm Statista, which illustrates Alphabet and Google's revenue from  non-advertising sources. In just ten years, the non-advertising side of the business has grown from an afterthought to 14% of the topline. 

And the $15.5 billion generated outside of ads last year is serious money — it's more than four times the revenue that Twitter and Snapchat, combined, generated last year. 

Google knows that one day the ad business will max out and growth will slow. Wall Street likes growth companies, and Google is well into an effort to grab market share in a host of other business sectors.

Where is all that non-ad money coming from? 

Google Cloud is a big part of that effort. In fact, Google executives have previously said they believe selling access to Google's cloud could one day overtake advertising as Google's primary source of revenue. 

Google is facing tough competition in the cloud from the likes of Amazon and Microsoft. And recent revolts by its own employees have forced Google to bow out of lucrative military contracts. 

Some of Google's other revenue sources include Google Fiber, its high speed broadband service, and the sales of consumer electronics such as Google Home, Pixel Slate.

There's also the 30% cut of app, music and movie sales that Google gets from transactions on its Play Store, which is the main digital hub for Android devices. 

This week, Google announced that it would allow European phone and tablet makers to not include the Play Store on Android devices if they didn't want to. That's a major change (which Google decided to do as a result of an EU antitrust investigation) and it remains to be seen how that will affect Google's efforts to build up the non-advertising side of the business. 

See Also: 

YouTube's latest partnership shows how it's had to learn to play a different game to win in the music business

YouTube's plan to replace cable TV just took a big leap forward — but it also exposed a critical turf war for the future of television

Skeptics  laughed at Google’s side bets, moonshots and forays into management's sci-fi dreams. But the numbers indicate some of that toil and investment is paying off.  

According to Statista's data, Google's non-advertising revenue in 2008 totaled $667 million. That equaled 3.1. percent of sales. Last year, non-ad revenue came in at $15.5 billion, which represented 14 percent of Google parent company Alphabet's overall sales.   

Although Alphabet's various non-advertising businesses all face some bumps in the road that could slow down growth, the company's massive R&D spending means it has a lot more big bets that could eventually pay off.

UBS analyst Eric Sheridan, for example, wrote earlier this year that Alphabet's Waymo self-driving car business could eventually be worth as much as $135 billion. The self-driving car division of Alphabet is expected to begin commercial operations in Arizona before the end of the year.   

SEE ALSO: YouTube's latest partnership shows how it's had to learn to play a different game to win in the music business

SEE ALSO: Google's got a gorgeous new tablet that becomes a full laptop — it's named 'Pixel Slate'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What marijuana looks like under the microscope

It's a great time to be a TV fan. We are in a golden era of television, with networks and streaming services dishing out big bucks to create fresh, impressive content. That means high production values, star-studded casts, and an overall quality cinematic viewing experience.

From "The Crown" to "Game of Thrones," here's a look at the 10 most expensive TV shows of all time based on per-episode cost. 

"Camelot" didn't last long, but at $7 million per episode, it sure was expensive.

The Emmy-nominated costume drama "Camelot" on Starz, which focused on the legend of King Arthur and had a star-studded cast, cost about $7 million per episode, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

The network announced the series' end with the following statement: "Due to significant production challenges, Starz has decided not to exercise the option for subsequent seasons of 'Camelot' with our production partners GK-tv, Octagon Films and Take 5 Productions."

The Wachowski sisters' "Sens8" on Netflix cost an estimated $9 million per episode.

The Wachowski sisters' ambitious Netflix series, "Sense8," cost an estimated $9 million per episode, according to The Verge, thanks to its grand scope and lush production.

The show was canceled after two seasons.

Popular fantasy series "Game of Thrones" costs an average of $10 million per episode.

Given its giant cast, action-packed episodes, and high production value, it's no surprise that HBO's mega-hit "Game of Thrones" costs an average of $10 million per episode.

In an exclusive "Game of Thrones" feature in the April print edition of Entertainment Weekly, reporter James Hibberd mentions the latest bank-breaking budget for season six of the series: "The show easily costs north of$10 million per episode at this point — not that you'll hear HBO complain."

A vintage World War Two-era airplane crashed Tuesday afternoon on the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, California, about 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles. 

Fortunately, the pilot walked away from the crash, NBC Los Angeles reported.

Photos taken by motorists show the plane wreckage engulfed in flames on the center divider. According to KTLA, no other vehicles were involved in the incident. 

Officials from the city of Calabasas said all lanes of the 101 Freeway were shut down. While northbound lanes of the highway are expected to be closed through late Tuesday. 

The type of aircraft and its origin has not been confirmed, but it looks to be a North American T6 Texan dressed in German Luftwaffe livery. 

This story is developing ...

FOLLOW US: On Facebook for more car and transportation content!

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This trike is made to look like a semitruck

• Victoria's Secret has fallen off the ranking of US teens' favorite clothing brands as part of a recent survey of teen spending habits by Piper Jaffray, Business Insider reported on Monday.
• One teen, commenting on Business Insider's story on Facebook, provided some insight into why the brand isn't resonating well with teens, and that's because they see it as being too pricey. 
• Other commenters echoed these sentiments and criticized the brand for the quality of its products. This is an issue that Victoria's Secret is often alerted to on its own Facebook group.  

Teen shoppers are turning their backs on Victoria's Secret, and pricey bras may be to blame.  

On Monday, Business Insider reported that the lingerie retailer, which also owns teen-focused brand Pink, fell off of a list of US teens' favorite clothing brands as part of a recent survey of teen spending habits by Piper Jaffray.

Victoria's Secret previously maintained a leading position in Piper Jaffray's surveys, which are released twice a year. The lingerie seller also appeared on the list of 10 retailers that teens are no longer shopping from for the second time. 

One teen, commenting on Business Insider's story on Facebook, gave some insight into why the brand isn't resonating well with teens.

"I'm a teen and the reason it's going down is because we cannot afford a bra that costs $60+. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk," she wrote. 

Other commenters pointed out that she would be better off shopping at Pink, the store's sister brand, which is targeted at teen shoppers and sells T-shirt bras for a more affordable $34.95. Still, her comments raised further debate about the price and quality of Victoria's Secret's products. 

"Most adults can rarely afford a $60+ bra as well," one Facebook user wrote in response.

"'I'm 32 and even I have a hard time shopping there. Their bras are crazy expensive," another said. 

Many shoppers criticized the quality of its products as not living up to the price tag.

"Could it be because their product is garbage and overpriced?! It used to be higher quality and you could maybe justify the price because of that. Now you can legit get a better bra at Target," one commenter said. 

This is an issue that Victoria's Secret has been alerted to in the past on its own Facebook group. 

"Their quality has declined while their prices increase. This does not keep customers," one customer wrote on Victoria's Secret's Facebook page in August.

"I used to love this place ... until the underwear I bought fell apart after two gentle washes," another shopper complained on Victoria's Secret's Facebook page in July.

If you're a Victoria's Secret employee with a story to share, contact this reporter at mhanbury@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: Teens are abandoning Victoria’s Secret

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 3 surprising ways humans are still evolving

• Ronaldo tried hard to make it "The Cristiano Show" on his return to Manchester United.
• But the Juventus FC forward was upstaged by his own teammate — the young midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.
• That is not to say Ronaldo was woeful as he was anything but. He played a part in the only goal of the game, and tested United's goalkeeper with stinging shots.
• But Bentancur pulled the strings from midfield by showing intuitive positioning, well-timed tackling, and expert passing.
• At 21 years old, there may be even more to come from the Uruguayan player.
• Read all of Business Insider's soccer coverage for the 2018-2019 season right here.

Cristiano Ronaldo tried as hard as he could to make Tuesday's match against Manchester United all about him.

He wanted it to be "The Cristiano Ronaldo show," to create and score goals, and to be the main man responsible for winning the match on his return to the club that helped make him the global superstar that he is today.

But none of those things came true, really. Sure, Ronaldo helped Juventus return to Turin in Italy with a crucial UEFA Champions League group stage victory, but he was ultimately upstaged by an unheralded 21-year-old called Rodrigo Bentancur.

Yes Ronaldo embarked on lung-busting runs, ran the channels, and attempted wild, TV-friendly shots on goal. And yes, Ronaldo's strike-partner Paulo Dybala scored the game's only goal when he struck from inside the penalty box in the first half of the game, but it was Bentancur who ran this show.

"I'm watching Ronaldo, you're watching Ronaldo, but Rodrigo Bentancur is running this game,"New York Times columnist Rory Smith tweeted in the middle of the match.

By half-time, Bentancur had 55 touches on the football and tallied 52 passes, of which 96.2% were accurate.

Bentancur played in the Juventus midfield alongside his more experienced teammates Miralem Pjanić and Blaise Matuidi, but the Uruguayan's performance — intuitive positioning and well-timed tackling combined with expert passing — belied his own young age.

That is not to say Ronaldo was woeful, as he was anything but. "Have probably seen Ronaldo live a dozen times in the last 18 months or so, and this is by some distance the most involved he's been in general play in any of them,"Smith said. "He's chasing back, he's dropping deep, he's giving and going."

Ronaldo was involved in the only goal of the game, when he fired in a cross from the right-hand side, only for the ball to eventually find its way, via a ricochet, to Dybala — who scored a straight-forward, one-touch, left-footed finish.

Watch the goal right here:

Ronaldo also had chances of his own. He thumped a powerful free-kick straight at David de Gea, before testing the Spanish shot-stopper with an awesome strike on the edge of the box later in the game.

Watch de Gea's reflexive save right here:

Or here if you are in a different region:

Because Bentancur plays in an unfashionable position, performing an unfashionable role, he does not attract the highlight-reels that Ronaldo and Dybala can create — the goal-ridden ones that most fans truly love.

But his 91% accuracy rate from his 86 passes perhaps tells its own story, and his midfield play allows Dybala and Ronaldo to flourish.

Yes, Ronaldo and Dybala may play the Hollywood-type roles, but A-list actors still need great producers — and on the pitch, that is what Bentancur is proving he can do. Whether it's retaining or retrieving possession, Bentancur produces.

SEE ALSO: Lionel Messi scored a goal, created another, but then fractured his arm and is now sidelined for the biggest FC Barcelona match of the year

DON'T MISS: Shares in Juventus FC have doubled since it bought Cristiano Ronaldo, and it's probably only the beginning

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What it takes to be an NFL referee

• Kate Middleton wore a blue mermaid-style gown by Alexander McQueen to a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
• The Cinderella-esque gown made the duchess look like a real-life Disney princess.
• She paired the dress with Princess Diana's Queen Mary's Lover's Knot.

Since Kate Middleton returned from maternity leave in early October, she's back to her official royal duties and debuting some new looks in the process. 

On Tuesday, the Duchess of Cambridge attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace wearing a blue mermaid-style gown by Alexander McQueen. 

Middleton paired her Cinderella-esque dress with one of her most elegant accessories: the Queen Mary's Lover's Knot Tiara that was previously owned by Princess Diana. An eye-catching matching necklace completed the ensemble, which Vogue reports is the same necklace Queen Alexandra wore to her wedding in 1863.

Middleton previously drew comparisons to a Disney princess when she wore a sparkling blue gown in November 2017 that looked very similar to the dress Elsa wears in the movie "Frozen."

Though her title is a duchess — and she is also technically a princess herself — Middleton looks like she has been taking style cues from Disney princesses.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Kate Middleton opened a shop for charity

• Jada Pinkett Smith opened up about teaching both of her children, son Jaden Smith and daughter Willow Smith, about consent.
• At an event to promote the latest season of her Facebook Watch Series "Red Table Talk" on Monday, Pinkett Smith told INSIDER that "from an early age," she advised her children not to put themselves "in spaces where you don't feel safe."
• "It's certain safeguards, and that can't always be the answer, because as we all know as women, we could get into some sticky situations, even with men we thought we knew," the actress told INSIDER. 

Jada Pinkett Smith opened up about how she approaches the topic of consent with both her son Jaden Smith and daughter Willow Smith.

At an event to celebrate the second season of Pinkett Smith's Facebook Watch Series "Red Table Talk" on Monday, the actress spoke candidly about how she navigates parenting with husband Will Smith, specifically amid the #MeToo movement.

"That started at a very early age of just, 'Nobody should touch you against your will' and me always explaining to Willow specifically and Jaden not to be in spaces that you don't feel safe," the actress told us.

The 47-year-old actress and talk show host added that even though Willow is now 17 years old, she still advises her to be cautious when meeting up with boys. 

"With Willow, even to this day I'm like, 'If he wants to meet you, he can come here. But you're not going to his house. I don't know who's there,'" Pinkett Smith said. 

She added: "It's just instilling a certain rhythm in a young woman's mind of 'Nope, I can meet you in a public place. We can meet there.' It's certain safeguards, and that can't always be the answer, because as we all know as women, we could get into some sticky situations, even with men we thought we knew."

Pinkett Smith went on to say that "you just pray that you give your child that inner sense of strength and understanding that she has the right to say no and fight for it, fight for her power and her body."

When it comes to her 20-year-old son, she reiterates the same message and said that "we don't talk about this, but boys are taken advantage of."

The actress added that she personally knows several men "who have been molested,""taken advantage of as children," and "don't talk about it."

Just as she has opened up conversations about taboo subjects with her "Red Table Talk" show, Pinkett Smith hopes to do a show regarding the aforementioned topic at some point. 

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales: There's going to be an 'enormous backlash' against Donald Trump's lies