In a world of scarce labor, companies are increasingly relying on robots to perform work that used to be done by humans. The Wall Street Journal's Christopher Mims reports: A new wave of robots is arriving—and, in a world short of workers, business leaders are more eager to welcome them than ever. A combination of hard-pressed employers, technological leaps and improved cost effectiveness has fueled a rapid expansion of the world’s robot army. A half-million industrial robots were installed globally last year, according to data released Thursday by the trade group International Federation … [Read more...]
Should Meta Own the Metaverse?
There is an argument being made that Meta, formerly Facebook, should not be the leader in building the future of the metaverse. John Thornhill reports in the Financial Times: One of the snarkiest fights raging among our digital overlords is over a technology that does not yet exist: the metaverse. So in love is Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg with its promise that he rebranded the company as Meta and bet his business on the idea. In spite of widespread scepticism, he has kept the faith, running up more than $27bn of operating losses in the company’s metaverse division over the past three … [Read more...]
THINK THE SAME: Europe Forces Apple to Ditch Its Unique Charger
"Think Different" was a longtime slogan of Apple, and to a certain extent the foundation of its current success. But European regulators are now forcing Apple to think the same as everyone else, when it comes to charging ports, at least. Kim Mackrael reports for The Wall Street Journal: European Union lawmakers backed legislation to create a common standard for charging smartphones and other portable electronics in a move that will effectively ban the sale of new products in Europe that use the company’s proprietary Lightning charger port. The European Parliament on Tuesday voted to … [Read more...]
Does Apple’s iPhone Plan for India Signal a China Exodus?
Apple is building its latest smartphone, the iPhone 14, in India, rather than China. The question that arises from Apple's decision is, is this the beginning of a trend for foreign manufacturers in China? John Reed reports in the Financial Times on Apple's decision, writing: Apple has begun producing its iPhone 14 model in southern India less than a month after it was launched, as the company works to diversify its supply chains out of China and expand production in India. “We’re excited to be manufacturing iPhone 14 in India,” the company said in a statement on Monday. Apple’s Taiwanese … [Read more...]
Tech IPO Drought Now Longest in History
Never in the history of the tech market have there been so few IPOs of large firms. In the past 238 days, there have been no tech IPOs worth over $50 million, a new record. Nicholas Megaw reports for the Financial Times: The stock market downturn since the start of the year has caused the longest drought in US technology listings this century, with experts cautious about the pace of a revival even after tentative signs of life in other sectors. Wednesday will mark 238 days without a tech IPO worth more than $50mn, surpassing the previous records set in the aftermath of the 2008 financial … [Read more...]
Instagram Can’t Tik Tok, and It Shows
No matter how hard thy try, the people running Meta just can't seem to clone Tik Tok with their Instagram Reels offering. The problem, according to an internal Meta document reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, is that creators on Reels just aren't making enough content. Salvador Rodriguez, Meghan Bobrowsky and Jeff Horwitz report for the WSJ: Meta Platforms Inc. META -7.66%▼ Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg is betting the social-media giant’s near-term future on Instagram Reels, the short-video feature he is touting as the company’s answer to TikTok. The company’s internal research shows … [Read more...]
Artificial Intelligence “Listens” to Machines to Predict Maintenance and Improve Efficiency
A new trend among industrial companies is "predictive maintenance." In order to better predict when machines need maintenance, artificial intelligence systems use sensors to "listen" to the machines and then analyze the data and changes in the sounds. Using the data, the AI predicts when maintenance must be performed for maximum efficiency. Angus Loten reports in The Wall Street Journal: Startups that make technology designed to predict industrial equipment failures before they happen are seeing a surge in demand, as strained supply chains prompt manufacturers to squeeze more efficiency out … [Read more...]
European Data Centers Prepare for Dark Winter Amidst War
Datacenter operators Equinix and Digital Realty Trust are stocking up on diesel fuel at European locations. The companies hope to stave off shortages that may arise during a winter that may bring shortages of fuel amidst the war between Russia and Ukraine. Anna Gross and Harry Dempsey report in the Financial Times: The world’s two biggest data centre operators are stockpiling generator fuel as the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens winter power blackouts across Europe. Equinix, the global market leader with a market capitalisation of $64bn, and its $38bn rival … [Read more...]
What Happened to Zoom Stock?
Zoom stock has been crashing since mid-pandemic when some investors realized that pandemic lockdowns wouldn't last forever. Now results are showing the strain of reopening on Zoom's business. Dan Gallagher reports in The Wall Street Journal: Many businesses are still recovering from the pandemic. For Zoom Video Communications, recovery from being a pandemic darling is proving equally difficult. Fiscal second-quarter results late Monday from Zoom were the toughest yet for the videoconferencing provider. Revenue for the quarter ended July 31 rose only 8% year over year to about $1.1 … [Read more...]
Can Crypto Save the Internet from Big Tech Monopolies?
Venture capitalists at Andreessen Horowitz are betting on crypto technologies to save the internet industry from the concentration that has made a handful of big companies so powerful. The Financial Times reports: Andreessen Horowitz, the Silicon Valley venture capital group, is betting on crypto to break up the excessive concentration of Big Tech power that the firm played a prominent role in creating, according to one of its leading partners. Chris Dixon, founder of Andreessen’s crypto arm, said the internet had led to power being held by a handful of companies including Facebook and … [Read more...]
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