TechCheck

The FTC and 17 states filed a antitrust suit today alleging Amazon inflates online prices and overcharges sellers. The agency and FTC chair Lina Khan’s credibility are at stake in this massive case. Khan badly needs a win -- she made her name in law school by targeting the tech giant, but during her tenure, she’s only allowed the Prime ecosystem to get stronger and more entrenched.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amazon is investing up to $4 billion in startup Anthropic as it looks to stake a claim in the AI arms race. Both stand to benefit: Amazon, with a buzzy customer for its custom AI chips and a minority stake in one of the early applications of generative AI, while Anthropic gets a big backer and AWS’ compute power. This isn’t, however, the exclusive partnership with Microsoft and OpenAI inked earlier this year, since Anthropic already received a partnership and investment from Google in May.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Some of the biggest, most highly-anticipated IPOs of the last few years have fallen short, burning investors who thought they were buying a technology stock. Peloton, WeWork, Blue Apron, and StitchFix all might have called themselves tech companies, but their growth ended up being hugely restricted by real-world limitations. So as a new wave of IPOs begin, investors might be struggling to determine where Instacart falls. This week on Tech Check, we dive into the grocery delivery app and ask, is Instacart really a tech company?  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Microsoft looks to be closing in on its acquisition of Activision, after regulators in the United Kingdom signaled approval. The deal might be an example of how companies can ride out the stricter regulatory scrutiny under the Biden administration, adding to a string of blows that could leave corporate America feeling emboldened to pursue more deals. Plus, Apple’s newest iPhone went on sale around the world today, with Tim Cook opening an Apple store in New York City as part of the festivities. After three straight quarters of declining revenue and a fourth expected, the pressure is on for this launch.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cisco’s $28 billion acquisition of Splunk signals where the company wants to go: a legacy tech hardware company trying to pivot to software and services, in a bid to help topline growth and give it heft in two of the buzziest tech subsectors, cybersecurity and AI.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

CNBC's Dierdre Bosa spoke with Instacart CEO, Fidji Simo, to discuss why now was the time to finally go public and how the company arrived at the decision to price where they have. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As more grocers begin looking to build their own delivery networks, what does that mean for Instacart’s competitive moat? The world’s largest grocery delivery platform opened trading today on the Nasdaq at $42 a share, and Instacart CEO Fidji Simo discussed why grocers choose to stay on their marketplace, and how she expects the company to continue to grow after seeing the benefits of grocery delivery during the pandemic.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With Arm’s successful listing and Instacart’s debut on deck, the blockbuster IPO is back. But retail investors might want to proceed with caution before buying in. Those that jumped into some of the largest recent IPOs on the first day of trading have all lost money, according to our analysis, and would’ve seen dramatically better returns just buying the S&P. And even the connected, institutional investors that bought coveted shares at the IPO price have seen huge losses, as rising interest rates reprices valuations across the board. This week on Tech Check, our deep dive into why investors should beware the blockbuster IPO.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Instacart today raised the price range for its upcoming IPO after Arm’s successful debut yesterday, boosting the valuation to around $10 billion dollars. But that might be little comfort to the investors who bought in at Instacart’s peak valuation of $39 billion two years ago. We break down the winners and losers of the debut, including the VCs who got in early and the big institutional investors that are getting put under the water.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Softbank-backed chip designer Arm's successful listing today could open the IPO floodgates, according to Lux Capital’s Shahin Farshchi. He says the offering could generate more interest in new chip players, drive capital into private semi names, and encourage private companies to consider public market financing. The IPO might also be a much-needed win Masayoshi Son. Even though the Softbank founder has hung his entire legacy on being central to the AI shift, he’s had a number of big misses, including selling his stakes in Nvidia and perhaps self-driving startup Cruise too early. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.