TechCheck

Apple’s reported AI leadership shakeup and Softbank’s bet on AI infrastructure 3/20/25

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Apple’s reported shakeup among its AI leadership has intensified the spotlight on the ongoing AI talent wars among mega-cap tech companies. And Sof...

Nvidia's Roadmap to Physical AI 3/19/25

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang unveiled his vision and roadmap to physical AI at the company's GTC event... Describing the robots, self-driving cars, and wor...

Google secures $32 billion deal for cybersecurity startup Wiz 3/18/25

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Google parent Alphabet is sealing a $32 billion deal to acquire the cybersecurity startup Wiz.  We dig into the acquisition, which is Alphabet’s la...

Google expands access to AI image generator 3/17/25

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Google is now expanding access to its powerful AI image generation model. We look at the buzz, and dig into new developments that show AI giants are m...

OpenAI calls for U.S. DeepSeek ban, Plus Silicon Valley’s startup showcase 03/14/25

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Open AI is calling on the Trump White House to ban DeepSeek and other ‘PRC-Produced’ AI models. We look at how the Trump administration’s big te...

Apple’s AI Stumbles weigh on shares 3/13/25

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alibaba rolling out an updated version of its AI assistant that could be a boon to Apple’s China business if it rolls out on iPhones later this year...

Google’s “Gemma 3” rollout, Plus FTC delays Amazon trial 3/12/25

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Google is rolling out its latest open-source model Gemma 3, capable of running on just a single GPU. We dig into the efficiency gains mean for the shi...

Waymo expands into Silicon Valley, Plus OpenAI’s AI agent toolkit 3/11/25

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Waymo is coming back to where it all began with a new expansion into Silicon Valley. We look at how the self-driving darling may be overlooked in Goog...

Manus: Overhyped or China’s second DeepSeek moment? 3/10/25

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Chinese startup unveiling a new AI Agent dubbed ‘Manus’ that some are hailing as the country’s next DeepSeek moment. We look into the hype and...

Google unveils 'AI mode' in search 3/7/25

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Google unveiling an upgrade to its Gemini-powered AI overviews, including a new feature promising to help users dig deeper in search. We look at what ...

Meet Sesame: The Most Human AI Voice assistant Yet 3/5/25

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A new AI voice assistant is pushing the frontiers of the technology. We look into startup Sesame and how it could change the race in AI voice.  Hoste...

Tech divided over crypto reserve 3/3/25

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump announcing a “Strategic Crypto Reserve” over the weekend, drawing quick backlash from some of his biggest supporters in Silicon Va...

Megacaps enter the Quantum chip race 2/27/25

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Amazon is jumping into the Quantum computing race with their first quantum chip ‘ocelot.’ We look at the latest Megacap staking their claim in qua...

Why AI prices are in a race to the bottom 2/26/25

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

DeepSeek’s impact being felt as more free AI offerings make their way to consumers, in a battle for users between the biggest AI names. We look at w...

TechCheck Takes: How DeepSeek supercharged AI’s distillation problem 2/25/25

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Silicon Valley is reckoning with an AI development technique that could upend the leaderboard. Distillation is the idea that a small team can make an ...

How stricter chip restrictions could backfire to benefit Huawei 2/25/25

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration is reportedly considering tightening the restrictions on U.S. chip exports to China even further. But that could end up unint...

Distillation and the boom in Chinese tech stocks, Plus Masa Son on Stargate 2/21/25

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. tech companies facing headwinds post-DeepSeek even as Chinese tech stocks have soared. Raising questions about whether the biggest winers may not...

Microsoft’s Quantum breakthrough, plus OpenAI touts user growth 2/20/25

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Shares of Quantum computing stocks are spiking after Microsoft announced a new Quantum breakthrough yesterday, and Microsoft isn’t the only tech gia...

Sequoia backs AI health startup 2/19/25

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI startup OpenEvidence is now raising a fresh round of capital from Sequoia at a $1 Billion valuation. We look at the latest big funding round in AI ...

Startup Investing for the Masses, Plus xAI Unveils New AI Model 2/18/25

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Silicon Valley startups have generally been off-limits to the public, cutting ordinary investors out of peak value creation. But now, those rules are ...

Wall Street cools on AI spending spree 2/14/25

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Big Tech expecting to spend as much as $320B in capital expenditures in 2025, as much as 40% higher than even last-year’s stratospheric spend. We lo...

Musk OpenAI bid, Plus Apple’s Alibaba teamup 2/13/25

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk adding a new layer to his escalating legal fight with OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman. Plus, Apple is teaming up with Alibaba to bring Apple Intel...

High-stakes Paris AI summit sees calls for less regulation 2/11/25

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tech executives and world leaders convening in Paris this week to discuss AI, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, French Presid...

Why OpenAI has a Microsoft problem 2/10/25

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New Reporting reveals that OpenAI is closer than ever to having their own custom AI chips. We look at what the startup’s push for their own chips re...

Big Tech hunts for AGI at any cost 02/07/25

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sources telling CNBC’s David Faber that Softbank plans to invest $40B in OpenAI in a deal that would place the generative AI startup at a $300B post...

Why a stronger dollar could spell trouble for Big Tech 02/06/25

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The dollar is up nearly 5% over the past six months, causing headwinds for tech giants who make a substantial portion of their revenue overseas. We lo...

Perplexity’s case for U.S. TikTok ownership, Plus DeepSeek security concerns 2/5/25

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Perplexity CEO and Co-Founder Aravind Srinivas is making the case for why his startup is the best positioned to take over TikTok U.S. operations. Plus...

Google faces uphill AI battle in 2025 2/4/2025

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Google parent company Alphabet hitting a record high ahead of reporting today even as China hits the tech giant with an antitrust probe. We look at wh...

Sam Altman’s post-DeepSeek mea culpa, Plus Ontario axes Starlink deal 2/3/25

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman saying in a Reddit AMA Friday that his company has been ‘on the wrong side of history’ on open source AI as DeepSeek continu...

Big Tech rushes to adopt DeepSeek 01/31/25

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chinese startup DeepSeek sparking a sell off this week that sent Nvidia and Microsoft shares slipping downward. We look at how even as the new open-so...

How DeepSeek kicked off a new AI race 1/29/25

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tech stocks mixed today as the AI trade tries to adjust to a new normal post-DeepSeek. We look at why the AI race will never be the same, and why Open...

Aaron Levie on the AI paradigm shift after DeepSeek, plus Kyle Bass sounds off on the China threat 1/28/25

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

DeepSeek has upended the conventional wisdom about what it takes to make an advanced large language model, but as the market reacts, Box CEO Aaron Lev...

How China’s DeepSeek upended the AI landscape 1/27/25

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

China’s DeepSeek model sent markets reeling Monday as investors digest the impressive performance and reportedly low cost of the advanced large lang...

TechCheck Takes: Why China’s DeepSeek is putting America’s AI lead in jeopardy 1/27/25

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An AI lab out of China has ignited panic throughout Silicon Valley after releasing AI models that can outperform America’s best despite being built ...

TechCheck+ Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi 1/23/25

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ali Ghodsi, Databricks CEO, joins Deirdre Bosa to discuss Databricks recent investment from Meta, and much more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz comp...

Tech CEOs sound alarm on Chinese AI breakthroughs 1/23/25

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chinese internet firm ByteDance unveiling a new top-performing model that escalates the AI competition between China and the U.S. We look at how key A...

Trump revokes Biden’s AI safety order as Chinese competition grows 1/21/25

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Key guardrails around advanced AI models are now gone after President Trump revoked Biden’s executive order on AI safety. Critics claimed the E-O st...

Behind the scenes at a quantum lab, SandboxAQ CEO on outlook, plus the U.S. TikTok alternatives users are flocking to 1/17/25

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Behind the scenes at a quantum lab, SandboxAQ CEO on outlook, plus the U.S. TikTok alternatives users are flocking toDescription: Quantum computing st...

OpenAI’s unveils new rival to Siri, Alexa 01/15/25

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

2025 is expected to be the year of the AI Agent and ChatGPT developer OpenAI making the first move. We look at their new ‘Tasks’ feature that Open...

TikTok “Refugees” stream to Chinese app RedNote 01/14/25

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A report out today claims China is exploring a sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations to Elon Musk.  With just days to go before the ban is set to take e...

Critics pan Zuckerberg’s move towards MAGA 1/13/25

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg continuing his MAGA makeover in a recent podcast appearance with Joe Rogan where he slammed Apple for a lack of innovation. W...

Nvidia slams newly reported AI chip export limits 1/10/25

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI chip giant Nvidia coming out hard against newly reported AI chip export limits that the Biden administration is expected to announce. The three-tie...

TikTok Shop rival Whatnot raises $265M 1/8/25

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just days before the Supreme Court hears the TikTok ban, TikTok Shop rival Whatnot announcing they’ve hit a nearly $5B valuation as part of its late...

Zuckerberg’s Trump turn pressures Google 1/7/25

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Zuckerberg and Meta continuing their Trump charm offensive with an announcement today that the social media giant is ending fact checking. As mor...

Sam Altman hints AI's next key breakthrough is within reach 1/6/25

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This weekend OpenAI CEO Sam Altman saying that Artificial General Intelligence – a metric that would mean AI has caught up to human reasoning – is...

AI results in focus for CES 2025 1/3/25

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Next week one of the biggest tech events of 2025 kicks off in Las Vegas. The Consumer Electronics Show – better known as CES – showcases some of t...

Robotaxis pit Tesla against Uber 1/2/25

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tesla’s self-driving robotaxi technology may define the company in 2025, but it also puts them in direct competition against rideshare giant Uber. W...

New Chinese AI Model Threatens American AI Dominance 12/30/24

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

DeepSeek v3 is a new AI model developed by a Chinese lab, built in just 2 months with less-performant GPUs and for a fraction of what it cost Google, ...

OpenAI unveils plans for for-profit restructure 12/27/24

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

OpenAI laid out its plan for converting into a for-profit company in a blog post Friday morning. The Generative AI darling says their existing for-pro...

The 2025 chip trade outlook 12/23/24

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Increased competition is already impacting the chips trade, and that’s expected to continue into next year. But the biggest risk could be geopolitic...

Next phase of AI takes shape 12/19/24

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Micron shares tumbling today on weak guidance, but what the drop doesn’t reflect are signs of strength in the chipmaker’s AI data center business....

Options boom drives Big Tech volatility 12/18/24

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mega Caps stocks are popping this month, and the trend is being propelled by more than just traditional trading. We dig into how bullish options activ...

TechCheck+ Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi 12/18/24

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa sits down with Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi to talk its mega funding round, what it means for AI enthusiasm and more. Hosted by Sim...

Databricks’ mega funding round 12/17/24

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Databricks is announcing an eye-popping $10 billion funding round at a $62 billion dollar valuation, one of the largest in Silicon Valley history. Inv...

Masayoshi Son’s $100B U.S. Investment 12/16/24

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son joined President Trump at Mar-a-Lago this morning to announce a $100 billion dollar investment in the U.S. over the next fo...

Tech executives ‘Kiss the Ring’ ahead of Trump 2.0 12/13/24

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tech leaders are previewing their playbook for Trump’s second term. Including trips to Mar-a-Lago, and larger donations to the inaugural fund. So wi...

Cisco CEO on Business Outlook, Plus the Future of M&A in Trump 2.0 12/12/24

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Deirdre Bosa sits down with Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins to talk the outlook for business under a new Trump Presidency and how AI is creating a boom for ne...

Google’s AI Edge: Consumer Reach 12/11/24

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Google is announcing its more powerful Gemini 2.0 model, which will power its AI search tool “Overviews.” It means the company is now getting new ...

TechCheck+ Are AI advancements already slowing down? 12/11/24

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Generative AI has developed so quickly in the past two years, massive breakthroughs seemed more a question of “when” rather than “if.” But in ...

Venture Capitalists Mold Trump 2.0 12/6/24

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President-elect Trump has selected venture capitalist David Sacks as his pick for White House AI & Crypto Czar, a role that involves two of the most i...

The Race for AI World-Generating Models, Plus OpenAI’s Two Launches 12/5/24

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The new frontier emerging in AI is 3D world-generating models, where you input text, an image or a video and generate a modifiable 3D world. Plus, Ope...

Google AI Podcast Tool’s New Audience and OpenAI’s 12 Days of ‘Ship-Mas’12/4/24

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Spotify is now jumping on the AI hype train, teaming up with Google to use their viral AI podcast tool for the 2024 Wrapped, helping users generate cu...

Intel Board’s Technical Inexperience 12/3/24

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shares of Intel are extending yesterday’s drop after popping initially on the news of Pat Gelsinger’s retirement. It could be because investors ar...

Google Subpoenas AI Rivals, Plus Amazon’s NFL Black Friday Game 11/27/24

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Google’s latest move after losing its antitrust case over search is subpoenaing AI rivals, trying to rebuff the Justice Department’s efforts to fo...

Nvidia’s AI Moonshots 11/26/24

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nvidia is showing off a new AI audio generator tool they’re calling Fugatto, capable of creating never-before heard sounds through text and audio pr...

Huawei’s Tech Advancements, U.S. Chip Revival Snag 11/25/24

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Apple CEO Tim Cook is visiting China for at least the third time this year as he looks to shore up relations ahead of a potential trade battle under P...

Elon Musk as Tech Policy’s Newest Wildcard 11/20/24

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk is emerging as a new wild card for big tech in Trump’s second administration. His empire of companies and ventures compete with megacaps o...

Impact of a Google Chrome Spin-off 11/19/24

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shares of Alphabet moved higher today despite reports that the Justice Department is planning to force a sale of the Google Chrome browser. It’s par...

Waymo’s Advantage with Potential Federal Self-Driving Rules 11/18/24

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A federal framework for regulating self-driving technology instead of state-by-state ones is more likely to benefit the current and arguably underappr...

The Year That Changed OpenAI 11/15/24

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One year ago this week we saw the dramatic ousting of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and reinstatement just days later. Back at the helm, he has reshaped the c...

The Amazon Bull Case Under Trump 11/14/24

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shares of Amazon have seen a boost since Donald Trump was elected, but the e-commerce giant has had a tense relationship with the President-elect. Wil...

Softbank To Get First Nvidia Blackwell Chips 11/13/24

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tech giants and AI startups have all been working to get their hands on Nvidia’s upcoming Blackwell chips – but it’s the Japanese tech conglomer...

TechCheck+ Box CEO Aaron Levie 11/12/24

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Box CEO Aaron Levie joins CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa to discuss why software stocks have been performing so well, how a new Trump term will impact tech reg...

Approaching a GenAI Plateau? 11/11/24

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Traffic to ChatGPT is booming, now ranked the 8th most-visited website worldwide, according to Similarweb. But its incredible rise comes right as conc...

Why AI’s Next Phase Could Break Nvidia’s Moat 11/8/24

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The next phase of AI development involves inference, the stage in which the models that have been trained are applied and generate responses. There, s...

Gig Economy and Ride-sharing Under Trump 11/7/24

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The incoming Trump administration and Elon Musk’s role in it could be a new catalyst in the equation of how robotaxis will impact ridesharing. Lyft ...

AI Trade Acceleration Under Trump 11/06/24

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The impact of a second Trump administration on the AI trade: less regulation, potentially more volatility, and the China threat could all mean faster,...

Defense Adoption of AI Technology 11/5/24

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The focus for big tech this earnings season has been finding ways to monetize AI – and one use that’s emerged is the military. Shares of Palantir ...

AI Search Faces Election Test 11/4/24

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As users search for election and voting information in new ways, generative AI startups may have the solution -- proving nimbler with less to lose tha...

Cloud Strength Justifies AI Spend 11/1/24

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

AI is the next catalyst for growth for the hyperscalers Amazon, Microsoft and Google – but whether it can offset spending is still unsettled. Alphab...

Apple’s AI Differentiation, Plus OpenAI Takes on Google Search 10/31/24

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The market still hasn’t seen any examples of huge success in AI monetization for consumer-facing products, but Apple is differentiated in that its A...

TechCheck+ How OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's lobbying power tamed Washington 10/31/24

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Come Election Day, the future of big tech won’t be decided by either presidential candidate. Instead, OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman has emerg...

AI Helps Google’s Efficiency Push 10/30/24

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shares of Alphabet jumped after reporting a big Q3 beat, reporting strong growth in cloud, search and YouTube. But one number you might not have seen ...

Alphabet and AMD Q3 On Deck 10/29/24

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A big check on AI demand and spending is coming after the bell when Alphabet and AMD both report third-quarter results. Investors are looking to AMD’...

X-Energy CEO on Amazon Investment, Plus Bret Taylor on Sierra’s New Funding Round 10/28/24

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As power-hungry tech companies work to fuel AI data centers, the race for nuclear energy is on. Amazon led a $500 million investment into X-Energy, wh...

Waymo Closes $5.6B Funding Round 10/25/24

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alphabet -owned Waymo just announcing a new $5.6B funding round led by its parent company with participation from investors including Fidelity, a16z, ...

TechCheck+ OpenAi’s Head of Global Policy Chris Lehane 10/24/24

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As AI becomes more mainstream, the debate on how to regulate it is starting to take center stage. Recently OpenAI hired Chris Lehane as its head of gl...

Apple’s AI Hurdles in China 10/23/24

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Apple CEO Tim Cook is in China for the second time this year, meeting with officials and pledging increased investment as the iPhone-maker faces growi...

Anthropic Pulls Ahead in AI Agent Race 10/22/24

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Would you give AI permission to take over your computer? The startup Anthropic hopes so, unveiling a new "Computer Use" tool that would let its Claud...

Google’s Reorganization Puts AI In Front 10/18/24

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Google shares fell on news of an AI reorganization, announcing it’s moving the Gemini Apps team under DeepMind and shifting a search and ads executi...

Uber Explores Expedia Takeover Bid, Plus Google Exec on Viral AI Podcast Tool 10/17/24

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shares of Uber and Expedia were on the move today’s session after reports that Uber had explored a takeover bid for Expedia. Plus, Google’s realis...

Amazon Lands Databricks Chips Deal 10/15/24

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The mad dash to develop and deploy AI chips is intensifying, with Amazon now inking a new deal with the startup Databricks in which it’ll use Amazon...

California Rejects More SpaceX Launches, Plus Nextdoor’s Hurricane Response 10/14/24

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A big step this weekend for SpaceX's bid to develop reusable rockets, successfully catching a descending rocket booster on the launch pad with mechan...

Waymo Pulls Ahead in Robotaxi Race 10/11/24

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After Tesla’s Robotaxi day, the focus has been on Uber with shares up 8%. But the biggest winner is with the widest lead is actually Alphabet’s Wa...

OpenAI Report Outlines Dangers of AI-Generated Misinformation 10/10/24

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new report from OpenAI on cyber operations and dangerous actors' use of AI could be a signal that companies are feeling the pressure to take AI-gen...

Google’s Regulatory Overhangs, Plus Hindenburg Shorts Roblox 10/8/24

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Google’s regulatory headaches continue. A judge, yesterday, ordered the Alphabet-subsidiary to open up its Google Play app store as part of the Epic...

Presidential Election Divides Silicon Valley 10/7/24

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The presidential election is continuing to sow divisions in Silicon Valley. Two giants of the tech industry are now coming out on opposite sides, afte...

TechCheck+ Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang 10/4/24

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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Google’s Viral Podcast Tool 10/3/24

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Google recently released a new AI-generated podcast-making tool called NotebookLM – and it’s gone viral on X and in the tech world. We tested it o...

Nvidia Looks to Expand AI Adoption with Accenture Deal 10/2/24

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nvidia and Accenture announced a partnership today, aiming to set the blueprint for how to begin integrating AI into the workplace and drive productiv...