Nvidia's Market Cap, Peloton Turnaround, Apple Shakeup | Bloomberg Technology

26 Aug 2024 (21 days ago)

Nvidia and the AI Boom

Despite a recent market selloff, investors continue to show interest in big tech companies, including Nvidia, as evidenced by inflows into ETFs like QLD.
Cisco has not been a major beneficiary of AI, but its value, cash flow, and dividend yield make it a potentially attractive investment.
It is important to be aware of macroeconomic factors and their potential impact on investments.

Autodesk is facing scrutiny from an activist investor who believes there needs to be accountability for accounting issues within the company. The investor is questioning if the current CEO is fit to lead, especially considering their tenure overlaps with a previous activist investor situation.
Peloton exceeded expectations for their most recent quarterly earnings, likely due to cost-cutting measures and conservative guidance. However, their future revenue outlook is causing concern, especially with the company searching for a new CEO.
James Gorman, who oversaw the recent succession process at Morgan Stanley, will lead the search for Bob Iger's successor as Disney's Chair.
Edgar Bronfman Junior increased his offer for CBS parent company in an attempt to upset the planned merger with independent producer Skydance Media.
Synopsys’ third-quarter revenue profit increased, with many attributing the positive results to the race to AI.
Binance is increasing its annual spending to meet regulatory requirements, including U.S. oversight, to over \$200 million.

Start-ups raised $2.7 billion across 503 deals in the second quarter of the year, representing a 12.5% decline in deal volume compared to the previous quarter.
Investors are writing larger checks to a smaller number of projects, indicating a focus on projects with perceived real value.
There is a significant amount of capital being invested in infrastructure, potentially at the expense of applications and services that directly serve end-users.

Matt Fisher, the Vice President of Apple's App Store business, is leaving the company in October as part of a reorganization of the App Store business.
Apple is splitting the App Store organization into two teams: one related to the in-house App Store and another dedicated to third-party app distribution, including alternative app stores and payment methods.

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, opposes a bill in California that would place new safety requirements on artificial intelligence companies, arguing that AI regulation should occur at a federal level.
California Senator Scott Wiener removed criminal penalties from his AI regulation bill in an attempt to appease critics, though the bill still faces opposition from Silicon Valley investors and some politicians.
The bill, which passed the California Senate with a wide majority, would hold companies liable for their AI models if they lie about safety testing under oath.
Some smaller developers worry that the bill will limit the availability of open-source models if companies like Meta, worried about liability, restrict their offerings.
Reid Hoffman, a venture capitalist, suggested replacing Lina Khan as the head of the FTC, which was met with resistance from the progressive wing of the Democratic party.
There is a lack of consensus among Democrats on issues related to technology.
The Democratic party is prioritizing unity and defeating Donald Trump over addressing potentially divisive tech-related issues.