TechCheck

JD Vance Visits Silicon Valley 7/29/24

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Palo Alto, the epicenter of tech and VC money, JD Vance is headlining a fundraiser tonight hosted by a cryptocurrency executive where tickets are g...

SearchGPT Takes on Google, Plus Tech Tumble Pressures Earnings 7/26/24

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

OpenAI just announced the prototype of a search engine called SearchGPT that now puts the pressure on Google, with what the startup says are more natu...

Streaming’s Role in Sports Rights, Plus Capex Concerns Weigh on Semis 7/25/24

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The NBA is announcing a $76 billion TV rights deal with ESPN, Amazon and NBC Sports, essentially a snub to NBA’s longtime partner Warner Bros Discov...

Google’s Capex Problem, Plus Semis Drag On Market 7/24/24

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One lesson from Alphabet earnings that we can expect from all megacaps this season: it's not cheap to be a hyperscaler in the age of AI. CEO Sundar Pi...

Wiz Walks from Google Deal 7/23/24

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The cloud security startup Wiz is now walking away from a monster $23B deal to be bought by Google, telling employees it'll opt instead to pursue an I...

TechCheck+ AI’s trillion dollar time bomb 7/19/24

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a time bomb ticking in the AI space: spending is too high, and returns are too low. Megacaps like Meta, Google and Amazon have seen capex sp...

Sam Altman’s $27M “lemon” 7/18/24

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Something that AI apparently can't do yet: inspect your home. OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman might've found that out the hard way, now suing the d...

Influential VCs Turn to Trump 7/17/24

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The latest in Silicon Valley to come out for former President Trump are Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, two of the most influential names in the sta...

JD Vance’s Silicon Valley Ties 7/16/24

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Former President Trump’s newly announced running mate has longtime ties to Silicon Valley as a former venture capitalist -- but any optimism that an...

Exclusive with SailGP CEO Russell Coutts 7/12/24

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new, high-stakes sport is gaining traction here in the U.S. SailGP, co-founded by Oracle’s Larry Ellison, is the Formula 1 of sailing, featuring t...

Tesla Delays Robotaxi & Google Calls Off Deal with Hubspot 7/11/24

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa shares details about Tesla’s delay of its robotaxi, the market impact to ride-share companies, and more. Plus, Google has repo...

OpenAI’s Undisclosed Hack, Plus Threads Turns One 7/5/24

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CNBC confirms that OpenAI was hacked in April of last year, and never told law enforcement or the public. It raises of question how much genAI compani...

What a Second Trump Presidency Would Mean for Tech 7/1/24

01 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between last week’s debate and today’s Supreme Court ruling, Silicon Valley is thinking more than ever about what another Trump presidency would m...

TechCheck+ You don’t know Nvidia 6/28/24

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The world has gone crazy for Nvidia -- or at least, Wall Street has. The stock has almost single-handedly lifted the entire market due to its monster ...

Softbank Backs Perplexity at $3B valuation 6/27/24

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Japanese tech investor Softbank is now backing Perplexity with a $10 million to $20 million fresh round of funding, valuing Perplexity AI at $3 bi...

TechCheck+ Figma CEO Dylan Field 6/26/24

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CNBC's Dierdre Bosa is at Figma's "Config" Conference in San Francisco with Figma CEO Dylan Field. Following a regulatory block of Adobe’s $20 billi...

EU Regulators Take Aim at Big Tech 6/25/24

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another major antitrust charge is coming out of the European Union today, saying that Microsoft’s bundling of Teams with other software like Office ...

Apple’s AI Ecosystem: EU’s DMA Charge and Potential Meta Partnership 6/24/24

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Apple is being hit with the first charge under the EU’s new Digital Markets Act, with regulators accusing the tech giant of preventing app store cus...

Softbank Back on the AI Offensive 6/21/24

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Nvidia turns lower today, Softbank's Masayoshi Son expressed regret over selling his shares too soon - a stake that would have been worth $160B tod...

Retail Investors Crowd into the Magnificent 7 6/20/24

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Retail investors have been crowding into a few pockets of big tech, including the Mag 7, Nvidia, and riskier, turbo-charged Nvidia plays through long-...

Social Media Warning Labels, Plus Deepfakes’ Impact on the Election 6/17/24

17 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. Surgeon General is now calling for a warning label to be applied to social media apps, similar to those on alcohol and tobacco products. He s...

TechCheck+ Apple's AI killer is... the iPhone 6/14/24

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Apple has now leapfrogged leaders Microsoft and Google in the high-stakes AI race by promising the first killer use of AI - a true personal assistant,...

Apple’s AI Deal Reshuffles Rankings 6/13/24

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shares of Apple are hitting fresh highs today after showcasing at WWDC that it is not only catching up to the other megacaps, but may actually have le...

Apple’s AI Edge 6/11/24

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shares of Apple are hitting fresh highs today after showcasing at WWDC that it is not only catching up to the other megacaps, but may actually have le...

The AI Debut and Backlash Cycle 6/10/24

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Apple just debuting its generative AI system Apple Intelligence, integrated with chatGPT that can look across your apps to retrieve, compile and take ...

TechCheck+ Tech for Trump: Silicon Valley investors turn against Biden 6/7/24

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Silicon Valley investors held a mega fundraiser for former President Trump in the heart of San Francisco - what was once an overwhelmingly liberal bas...

Silicon Valley’s Political Shift 6/6/24

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A mega-fundraiser for former president Trump is about to kick off in the heart of San Francisco, what was once a liberal bastion of America, and could...

Elliott Takes Aim at Softbank… Again 6/5/24

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It worked the first time -- Elliott Management might be hoping the playbook works again. It's now rebuilding a more than $2 billion stake in Softbank ...

Elon Musk, Sam Altman and the Cult of the Founder 6/4/24

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk and Sam Altman are both now facing scrutiny for balancing conflicts of interest with their side ventures. Musk has now seemed to confirm a r...

Spotify’s Year of Monetization 6/3/24

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Spotify is hiking prices for the second time in a year, raising a premium individual plan to $11.99 a month. But not all streamflation is the equal. U...

Google Scales Back AI Search Tool 5/31/24

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Google is doing damage control again, this time with its newest AI product. It’s scaling back an AI search tool it had unveiled just a few weeks ago...

Software’s AI Nuclear Winter 5/30/24

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Salesforce's quarterly revenue miss and weak guidance has sent shares plunging today, as the threat of AI looms over the cloud. Could it be a trend we...

OpenAI Board Member Speaks Out 5/29/24

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

New details were revealed today around the OpenAI saga that saw CEO Sam Altman ousted and reinstated within a week last fall. A former board member is...

Elon Musk’s Web of Loyalists Back xAI 5/28/24

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk's startup xAI is now valued at $24 billion after raising $6 billion in a fresh round of funding. The new raise is backed by a web of Musk's ...

Pricing the AI Race & Battle of the Home Smart Speakers 5/22/24

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CNBC’s Dierdre Bosa discusses the AI profit motives behind companies investing all into AI and the latest news on Amazon, home smart speakers, and m...

AI Competition Heating Up 5/21/24

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa discusses the latest news on monetizations towards AI features and China’s AI competition. Plus, Brent Thill, software and int...

Microsoft & Departures from OpenAI 5/20/24

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa breaks down the latest news on executive departures from OpenAI, big tech, AI plans, and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...

Gen AI Startups Get Corporate 5/17/24

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gen AI startups are growing up -- through both the underlying tech as we saw with OpenAI’s demo of GPT-4o and Google’s showcase of Gemini and Proj...

TechCheck+ Age of the AI agents: OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Google’s Project Astra, plus an exclusive sit-down with Google CEO Sundar Pichai 5/17/24

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

AI has moved into a new era – from chatbots to AI agents capable of having instantaneous, real-time conversations as showcased by Microsoft-backed O...

Walmart Takes a Page From Amazon, Plus AI Agents’ Impact on Education Tech 5/16/24

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shares of Walmart continue to be one of the top S&P performers today, rallying after beating quarterly earnings and revenue estimates while also posti...

Google’s AI Search Overhaul 5/15/24

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Google is now fully integrating generative AI into search, overhauling the 10 blue links we’ve known for decades. Deirdre Bosa spoke to Google CEO S...

TechCheck+ Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai 5/14/24

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai joins CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa at Google I/O developer conference to talk its new AI rollout, project Astra, its response to O...

OpenAI Front-Runs Google 5/13/24

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

OpenAI unveiled its new flagship AI model GPT-4o today that it says brings GPT-level intelligence to everyone, including free users. The event now rai...

TechCheck+ Google’s AI Hope: Demis Hassabis 5/10/24

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Google has been consolidating its AI efforts and power around one man: Demis Hassabis. As one of the most respected leaders in the space, the DeepMind...

The Case for Staying Private 5/9/24

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Money is continuing to flow into AI startups in the private market, with new reports of funding deals for Elon Musk’s xAI at a $18 billion valuation...

Fed “Fumble”, Disney Disappointment, and iPad Promises 5/7/24

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Stanley Druckenmiller says rate cuts should be entirely off the table and that the Fed fumbled the football on the 5-yard line with the game on the li...

What’s Next for Uber 5/6/24

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 stoc...

Chinese Stocks Stage Comeback 5/3/24

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

TechCheck+ Tesla’s big gamble: Full Self-Driving in the wild 5/3/24

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Google’s Next Challenge 5/2/24

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 da...

Megacap Capex Soars in AI Ramp Up 4/30/24

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 inv...

Top Morgan Stanley Banker on IPO Pipeline 4/29/24

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 tec...

TechCheck+ The reinvention of Mark Zuckerberg 4/26/24

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 w...

What Rubrik’s IPO Signals, Plus Where Big Tech is Finding AI Cash 4/26/24

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 lat...

The Battle Over TikTok’s Algorithm 4/24/24

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 c...

Google Alumni Turn Up the Pressure, Plus Softbank’s Latest AI Push 4/23/24

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two Google alumni are among those now turning up the pressure on their former employer. Aravind Srinivas of Perplexity and Dario Amodei of Anthropi...

Big Tech’s Capital Return Opportunity 4/22/24

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Google’s Culture Shift 4/19/24

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

The Power Grid’s AI Problem, Plus Meta and Google take on ChatGPT 4/18/24

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

: 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 center...

Ranking in Silicon Valley 4/17/24

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The practice of stack ranking might be making a comeback in Silicon Valley. Sometimes called “rank and yank,” it’s becoming increasingly popular...

Microsoft’s Global AI Lead, Plus AMD’s Bull Case 4/16/24

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 sever...

Apple and Tesla’s Parallels 4/15/24

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 new...

Box CEO Aaron Levie on AI Regulation, Plus Interest Rates’ Impact on Silicon Valley 4/12/24

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ahe...

Andy Jassy’s Balancing Act 4/11/24

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 tightro...

TechCheck+ Flow Co-Founder Adam Neumann 4/11/24

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

TechCheck+ Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian 4/10/24

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 unc...

New Tech Fund for Buzzy Startups, Plus Intel and Google Unveil New Chips 4/9/24

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 som...

Healthier Capital CEO on Health Care Startups, Plus Taiwan Semi’s CHIPS Act Grant 4/8/24

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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, m...

Samsung’s Big Chip Investment and Robotics Emerge as Big Tech’s Next Battleground 4/5/24

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 doubl...

Founders Fund Partner Trae Stephens on Tech and IPOs, Plus Google’s Search Evolution 4/4/24

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 joi...

Steve Cohen’s AI Predictions 4/3/24

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 r...

Intel’s Foundry Vision, Plus Salesforce’s AI Chief on New Gen-AI Tool 4/2/24

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There’s so much demand for the $53 billion CHIPS Act, the Biden administration has announced it will scrap funding originally allocated to semicondu...

What’s Ahead for Apple after a Tough Quarter 4/1/24

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 n...

Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer on AI Apps, Plus Finding the AI Underdogs 3/28/24

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

Return of the Meme Stock? 3/27/24

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 wi...

Neumann’s Bid for WeWork 3/26/24

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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-work...

Big Tech’s New Regulatory Battles 3/25/24

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The European Union has now launched its first official investigations under its sweeping new competition law, the Digital Markets Act, targeting Apple...

TechCheck+ Apple Succumbs to the AI Pressure 03/22/24

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

What the DOJ Missed on Apple, and how Microsoft has Dodged Regulators 03/22/24

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 questiona...

Reddit’s AI Pitch 3/31/24

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 int...

Jensen Huang’s Midas Touch 3/19/24

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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. T...

AI Race Leaderboard Reshuffled 3/18/24

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

Beijing Doubles Down on TikTok Sale Opposition 3/15/24

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

TechCheck+ Why ‘open’ AI might be more marketing than reality 3/15/24

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 U.S. Money Invested in TikTok, Plus Reddit Readies its IPO 3/14/24

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A significant amount of U.S. money is invested in TikTok parent company ByteDance, including Carlyle Group, KKR, GGV, Sequoia, Tiger Global and more. ...

Breaking Down the Nvidia Halo Effect 3/13/24

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 acces...

Arm Shares Face Big Test This Week 3/12/24

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ear...

The Fate of OpenAI’s Nonprofit Mission, Plus TikTok Ban Gains Momentum 3/11/24

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

One Year After SVB’s Collapse, Silicon Valley Still Searches for a Replacement 3/8/24

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One year after the collapse of SVB, the Valley is still searching for a replacement. The bank had tailored services for early-stage companies, partner...

OpenAI Fires Back at Elon Musk, Plus Microsoft Engineer Sounds the Alarm 3/6/24

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

TechCheck+ Google vs Google: The internal struggle holding back its AI 3/1/24

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Instead of a comeback, Google’s Gemini AI chatbot and image generator have gone viral for all the wrong reasons – producing inaccurate and offensi...

Bull vs. Bear at Google 2/27/24

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 calli...

Sam Altman Owns A Piece of Reddit 2/23/24

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 Simple...

TechCheck+ Nvidia, Sam Altman and the trillion-dollar AI dream 2/23/24

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence only entered the mainstream a year ago. But already, two titans of the industry are prophesying trillions of dollars in opport...

FTX Wants to Sell Its Anthropic Stake 2/22/24

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 high...

Retail Investors Buy The Dip 2/15/24

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When tech stocks fell this week, retail investors came in buying. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about ...

An AI Love Story 2/14/24

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is AI hype outpacing reality… A few signs that perhaps this story will not be as simple as buying the early AI winners like Microsoft, Alphabet, Met...

Bezos, Zuckerberg Sell Stock 2/12/24

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff Bezos selling Amazon stock for the first time in more than two years. Mark Zuckerberg selling some Meta shares. Today – what insider sales RIGH...

7 Trillion Reasons 2/9/24

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman -- now turning his attention to chips… Reportedly looking to raise up to seven trillion dollars for a new semiconductor ventur...

Goodbye, Bard! Google’s Gemini Rebrand.

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Google's Bard is now Gemini… What a rename and a rebrand mean for Google’s fight for AI. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz...