TechCheck

Uber had a banner year in 2023 – profitability turned a corner, S&P inclusion, and it became free cash flow positive. But what’s next for the stock, especially as it has underperformed other gig names in the last three months? Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb are all set to report quarterly results this week for a check on the gig economy. We take you through what to expect and what’s next. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was the world’s best-performing major stock market in April and has continued to move up another 5% this week. It may be part of a broader market theme, the unwinding of the “long AI, long Japan, short China” trade, but China is a world leader in AI research too, according to a new study from Georgetown University. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Full Self-Driving, or FSD, is one of the most controversial parts of Elon Musk’s Tesla strategy, with regulators calling the branding misleading and dangerous. But love it or hate it, Tesla has unleashed FSD, with a free trial for millions of U.S. drivers. That means more data -- an essential component to any company trying to develop autonomous driving. Tesla's approach to gathering all that data could prove all of Musk’s naysayers wrong, or leave it continuing to play catch up with more advanced self-driving tech. This week on TechCheck, Tesla’s big FSD gamble. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Closing arguments began today in the landmark antitrust case between the DOJ and Google. But what may ultimately matter more than the ruling is the damage already done to Google's market position, especially around generative AI vulnerabilities and progress. The fear is that under the pressure of regulators, Google has been hesitating or second-guessing itself. And the abundance of chatbots now available to consumers also makes the case, while Google’s Search Generative Experience, or SGE, remains in Beta mode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Capital spending among the megacaps is now surging as Microsoft, Google and Meta all outline plans for tens of billions of dollars a quarter in AI investments. We dig into what’s in store for Amazon as it gets set to report tonight. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The IPO market is "back," according to Colin Stewart, a top Morgan Stanley banker who led the Reddit and Astera Labs debuts. He expects 10-15 more tech IPOs to come this year, and an even better 2025, especially as the market gets more comfortable with paying for growth again. We chat with him about startup valuations, how the presidential election might impact IPO timing, and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Over the past year, Mark Zuckerberg has transformed Meta - and himself. He has gone from a brash young CEO to trained MMA fighter, and a trendsetter with his fur jackets and chains. And thanks to his year of efficiency and stellar stock performance, he's now a Wall Street darling, with Meta outperforming Apple and Alphabet, trailing only Nvidia among the Mag 7. But Meta's latest earnings report has shown it's continuing to bleed cash, and Zuckerberg is now facing a moment of truth. Can he deliver on generative AI, the most important platform shift in decades? This week on TechCheck, the reinvention of Zuck and the arrival of his "show me" moment. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shares of the software maker Rubrik are up about 20% since its debut on the NYSE yesterday. That success is being cheered in Silicon Valley as the latest sign the public market waters are safe to wade into. Plus, Alphabet and Microsoft shares are both popping after the companies beat on the top and bottom lines. The tech giants emphasized the growth of their respective AI businesses, but that also comes at a big cost. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At the heart of the battle over TikTok is its algorithm - one that overhauled social media, captivated Gen Z, and continues to engage them more than copycats like YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels. But without it, a sale of TikTok would be a very different proposition, and interested buyers like Steve Mnuchin have said that he would rebuild the app if there’s no technology transfer. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Two Google alumni are among those now turning up the pressure on their former employer. Aravind Srinivas of Perplexity and Dario Amodei of Anthropic are both leading upstart gen AI native companies. This time around, they have less to lose and are unafraid of taking on the giants. Plus, Softbank is reportedly now sinking nearly a billion dollars into developing a new generative AI model -- but is it too little, too late? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This earnings season, could we see Amazon and Alphabet follow Meta’s lead and issue a dividend or boost buybacks? Free cash flow has jumped across the six megacaps in the last two years, with Nvidia and Amazon seeing the biggest increases. In Amazon’s case, it was hard to imagine the tech giant doing so under Jeff Bezos. But CEO Andy Jassy is friendlier to Wall Street and has talked about focusing on profits and efficiency. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Google has been the poster child among big tech for having a more cuddly environment, with kombucha on tap or massuesses on staff. That also applies to what was once an openness for employees to bring social and political causes to work and mix ethics and business. But we're increasingly seeing a tougher Google and CEO Sundar Pichai. In the wake of multi-city protests across the company, he reminded employees in his latest memo that "this is a business." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

: The latest bottleneck in the AI boom might not be chips anymore - it's energy. Computing for AI requires way more power than traditional data centers, and CEOs including Elon Musk, Andy Jassy and Sam Altman are all sounding the alarm. Plus, the AI race is on -- and it's now faster and more competitive than ever. Meta says its just-released latest AI model, the Llama 3, is the most powerful model that's also freely accessible. Meta is also teaming up with Google to include search results with its new AI chatbot, Meta AI, in a show of force against ChatGPT. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The practice of stack ranking might be making a comeback in Silicon Valley. Sometimes called “rank and yank,” it’s becoming increasingly popular among tech companies during what’s turning into the multiple years of efficiency, with big tech cutting costs and trimming their workforce. The type of merit-based, competitive culture has been around since the 80s, popularized by Jack Welch of GE, and is alive and well in other sectors including banking. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Microsoft is making a major investment into the Abu Dhabi-based AI firm G-42 -- $1.5 billion dollars for a minority stake and just the latest in several foreign AI and cloud investments Microsoft has made, designed to continue its head start in AI and lock up another major customer for its cloud service Azure. Plus, HSBC is making a big call on AMD today, arguing in a new note that it shouldn’t be overlooked as an AI play because of its upcoming AI accelerator chip series, and because its non-AI business segments are improving. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Apple and Tesla are the only two stocks in the Magnificent Seven that are still in the red this year, and shares of both are also sinking today on news that Tesla is laying off 10% of its workforce and Apple smartphone shipments are slumping. But it’s not just the stock declines that the two have in common. Some parallels are even more fundamental to the companies, including increased competition from China, both reportedly killing major car projects, and highly anticipated events this summer with a lot at stake. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Box is going all in on AI. The cloud management company just crossed $1 billion in annual revenue, and says there’s still a lot more opportunity ahead. We chat with CEO Aaron Levie on how regulators should tackle AI, how AI will impact jobs and hiring, Google’s AI strategy, and more. Plus, with sticky inflation increasing the chances of higher rates for longer, Silicon Valley investors are now paying close attention to what it means for their privately-held portfolios. We dig into what VCs have been saying and the divergence between AI startups and the rest of tech. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The state of Amazon speaks to the state of big tech right now: keeping up with AI competition while keeping costs in check. We break down the tightrope that CEO Andy Jassy has to walk, from investing in startups while building models, to M&A while keeping an eye on regulators. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adam Neumann, former CEO of WeWork, sits down with CNBC’s Deidre Bosa to discuss the launch of his new Florida-based real estate startup, Flow, his bid to buy back WeWork, and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A new leg of the cloud wars has begun - one where access to the best AI models and tools is key. On the consumer side, Google’s strategy remains uncertain. But on the enterprise side, Google can afford to go on the offensive, and that’s happening in the cloud. CNBC's Deirdre Bosa sat down exclusively with Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian on competition, monetization, the partnership with Anthropic, and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There's a new fund that now allows retail investors to get in on the hottest tech startups, including Stripe, OpenAI and SpaceX. But it comes with some risk. The Destiny Tech100 fund has soared more than 500% since its launch two weeks ago but is tanking 40% today. We break down the risks and the rewards. Plus, Intel and Google both announced new and more powerful chips. Intel is introducing its Gaudi 3, which they say is better at inferencing and power efficiency than Nvidia’s H100 chip -- the main choice among companies building AI system. And Google’s Axion is the megacap’s latest expansion into custom chips, which the company says is capable of a range of tasks from powering Google’s search engine to AI-related work. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After a two-year slump, the health care funding market could finally be picking up as AI gets leveraged in the sector. We speak with Amir Dan Rubin, managing partner and CEO of the VC firm Healthier Capital and former CEO of Amazon-acquired primary care provider One Medical on the state of health care startups and funding. Plus, some of the most advanced chips in the world will now be made in America, but by a foreign firm. Taiwan Semi is the largest chip manufacturer in the world and has secured $6.6 billion in subsidies from the CHIPS Act in addition to $5 billion in low-cost government loans. But how does that impact American chipmakers like Intel? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Samsung is said to be the latest company to make a big investment in chip manufacturing in the United States. The company reportedly planning to double its total semiconductor investment in Texas to $44 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. Plus, Move over AI.. robots are emerging as the next big battleground for Big Tech. Apple – is said to be the latest mover.. joining Amazon, Tesla, Nvidia and Google Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trae Stephens is a partner at the prestigious VC firm Founders Fund, co-founder of the defense startup Anduril, and an early Palantir employee. He joins us for a rare interview on investing in defense technology, the thawing IPO market, whether an AI bubble is brewing, and more. Plus, Google’s dominance was built on free products - Gmail, Drive, Maps, Search. But now, in what would be a huge change from that model, the tech giant is reportedly considering charging for AI search features, adding them to its premium subscription services. One could argue it signals some desperation as it struggles to play catchup in the AI race, and a lack of commitment to disrupt its cash cow, Search. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Despite talks of a bubble brewing around AI, Steve Cohen, Point72 Chairman and CEO and owner of the New York Mets, thinks we have a lot more room to run. He says the markets might actually be discounting what AI’s going to be able to do for companies, and that there’s even more upside as a result of AI. We break down what that might mean for labor and productivity, and how to find the AI winners in startups. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There’s so much demand for the $53 billion CHIPS Act, the Biden administration has announced it will scrap funding originally allocated to semiconductor R&D facilities, and instead fund manufacturing hubs like Intel’s. But the funding amount is more like a drop in the bucket in Intel’s longer-term vision for its foundry business. Plus, Salesforce’s AI Chief Clara Shih joins us to talk about a new gen-AI co-pilot tool Einstein and how it’s driving productivity for customers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Apple is coming off a tough quarter. It was one of the worst-performing megacap tech stocks this year, down nearly 12% in the last three months. The negative sentiment from Wall Street continued today, with Loop Capital cutting its 12-month price target on the stock to $170 from $185. But there could be some positive catalysts ahead, including its annual developers conference, WWDC and a new iPhone cycle in September. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Former Yahoo CEO and early Google employee Marissa Mayer thinks photo sharing is broken. Her new app Shine uses AI to fix that. We chat with her on the new venture, plus competing with tech giants and LLMs, AI startups, Google’s AI strategy and more. Plus, one Raymond James analyst thinks he’s found the next winners in AI: web tool platforms like GoDaddy and Wix. We debate whether that will still hold true as the next generation of AI apps enter the market. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A new class of meme stocks has arrived. Trump Media, or DJT, is perhaps the most divorced from fundamentals. The newly-merged SPAC closed yesterday with a nearly $8 billion market cap and is up 17% today. Newly-public Reddit has also been also volatile – up nearly 70% since its IPO but falling 11% today. It all underscores a market that is increasingly driven by momentum… and retail investors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The saga of WeWork continues. Former CEO Adam Neumann is putting in a bid, along with half a dozen financing partners, to buy the now-bankrupt co-working company for more than $500 million, according to CNBC sources. But where is that money coming from, and who are the financing partners that would back Neumann after the high-profile WeWork implosion? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The European Union has now launched its first official investigations under its sweeping new competition law, the Digital Markets Act, targeting Apple, Google and Meta in particular. It’s a signal of European regulators going on the offense – identifying so-called gatekeepers and laying out rules to prevent future abuse of market power. But the tech giants now have battles going on multiple fronts – fighting regulators while also trying to keep up with megacap peers in the AI race. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Apple's strategy has always been to be the last and best mover. But generative AI is a different beast. Now, the tech giant looks to be scrambling. It's reportedly in talks to outsource key AI features on the next iPhone to one of its biggest rivals, Google, and has released a new Macbook Air it's selling as "the world's best consumer laptop for AI," but has the same features as past laptops. This week on TechCheck, we dig into how Apple has succumbed to the AI pressure. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The DOJ filed a historic 88-page suit against Apple, alleging that the tech giant of running an illegal monopoly. But we point out some more questionable allegations in the lawsuit, including the DOJ’s statements around CarPlay and Apple TV+. Plus, though all its megacap peers are currently facing regulatory investigations, Microsoft has somehow dodged scrutiny. We break down its regulatory playbook and secret to success. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shares of Reddit are soaring after its debut on the NYSE, as investors look to parse out what the company’s AI proposition really is. Artificial intelligence was a big part of Reddit’s pitch to investors, disclosing that it’s expecting to make around $66 million, or around 7% of its revenue, from a data licensing deal with Google to train its large language model on Reddit data. We dig into just how sustainable that is, and whether Reddit can expect to increase licensing as part of its revenue stream mix in the current AI landscape. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TechCheck is at Nvidia’s headline developer’s conference, the GTC in San Jose, breaking down the AI ecosystem that CEO Jensen Huang has created. The chip company’s halo effect has reached the public and private markets, with Synopsis, Dell and Cadence higher on the keynote, and a who’s who of generative AI startup darlings speaking at the conference as well, including Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI, Mistral and Cohere. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Apple is now reportedly in talks with Alphabet to put Google’s Gemini AI model into iPhones. The partnership could shake up postions in the AI race, potentially acting as a strong rebuke to bears who worried that Google's Gemini large language model is falling short of competitor products. It might also cast doubt on Apple's AI strategy and whether it’s able to catch up to rivals. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Beijing now seems unlikely to let go of TikTok's secret sauce - it's source code - saying overnight that it would oppose a forced sale. That severely limits the options for parent company Bytedance, and poses a big challenge for any U.S. workers who might try and replicate the algorithm. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Among developers, Meta's latest open-source large language model, the Llama 2, is the hottest thing around. Wall Street also seems to be waking up to the proposition, with the stock far outperforming AI rivals like Google and Microsoft. But calling Meta's AI system "open source" is only part of the story. And the same might also apply to buzzy startups like Mistral and open source’s loudest advocates like Elon Musk. This week on Tech Check, we break down the promise of open source AI vs the myth. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A significant amount of U.S. money is invested in TikTok parent company ByteDance, including Carlyle Group, KKR, GGV, Sequoia, Tiger Global and more. Former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin will likely have to go through them in his plans to put together a group to buy TikTok. Plus, Reddit’s IPO roadshow is underway. We break down what industry experts are now saying it could mean for the IPO pipeline. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Nvidia halo effect is alive and well. TechCheck spoke to the founder and CEO of Together AI, a newly minted unicorn that helps developers access Nvidia server chips to train their AI models, on how amid the scarcity of GPUs, it's all about making the supply of existing ones more efficient. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shares of Arm are just fractionally higher today as its lockup period expires. That’s the 6-month period after an IPO during which insiders like early investors and employees are restricted from selling shares to prevent volatility. Will they look to sell and lock in gains? Softbank and its CEO Masayoshi Son own a 90% stake and has often drawn down on winners, including by using ownership in Alibaba to pay off debt and repurchase shares. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There's a new, uncomfortable dynamic at OpenAI: a non-profit mission with a corporate profit motive. The recent changes at OpenAI's board underscore that - replacing AI researchers and specialists with business execs familiar with building for-profit companies. Plus, a new bipartisan effort to ban TikTok is gaining momentum in Congress. We dig into former President Trump’s flip-flopping stance on the ban. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

One year after the collapse of SVB, the Valley is still searching for a replacement. The bank had tailored services for early-stage companies, partnered with VCs, been a lender for those considered too risky for traditional banks. TechCheck talked to two startup founders on the failure, the changes since then, and the gap still in the market. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The fight between OpenAI and Elon Musk has entered a new round. After Musk filed suit against the startup accusing it of prioritizing profits, OpenAI has fired back with a trove of new bombshell emails that puts Musk back in the hot seat. Plus, CNBC talked to a Microsoft engineer that is now raising the red flag about its flagship AI profit CoPilot, warning of sexual and violent content. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Instead of a comeback, Google’s Gemini AI chatbot and image generator have gone viral for all the wrong reasons – producing inaccurate and offensive responses. The missteps have put Google back on the defensive in the AI race. But the bigger question around Gemini’s roll out is whether it underscores a painful but new corporate reality for Alphabet and CEO Sundar Pichai. Is Google’s culture sabotaging its AI efforts? We discuss both sides after a week where other mega-caps are making strides in AI: Apple’s Tim Cook talks AI strategy; Meta reportedly planning to launch Llama 3; Microsoft announces an investment in Mistral; and Nvidia’s market cap touches $2 trillion. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The fallout for Alphabet – the stock is now negative for the year as more controversies mount around its AI model Gemini rollout. Some are now calling for a change in leadership. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Of course he does! Reddit filed (finally) for its IPO. What it – and the money behind it – say about the state of tech right now. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial intelligence only entered the mainstream a year ago. But already, two titans of the industry are prophesying trillions of dollars in opportunity. Nvidia chief Jensen Huang is predicting an additional $1 trillion in data centers in the next few years, while OpenAI’s Sam Altman’s chip dream is closer to $7 trillion. This week on Tech Check, we take a deep dive into their trillion-dollar AI visions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX has filed a legal motion that would allow the company to sell its nearly 8% stake in one of the buzziest and highly-valued AI startups. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When tech stocks fell this week, retail investors came in buying. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.