TechCheck

Softbank posted a record $32 billion loss at its Vision Fund tech investment arm as executives promise the company are going on the offensive on AI. But is it too little too late? Plus, character.ai has become an example for tech investors of an AI bubble – after the company raised a billion dollars without seeing any revenue. CEO Noam Shazeer talked monetization, use cases, and how they landed their partnership with Google Cloud. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Google held a much anticipated event today, but what really caught the investors’ attention was its demonstration of AI integration with search.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

PayPal is the better profitability play, yet trails Block’s valuation by a mile. But does any of that matter when pretty much all of fintech are commodity services anyway? Plus, Amazon is offering a $10 incentive for some customers who choose to pick up a purchase in store instead of have it delivered, and Spotify is tackling AI bots who inflate streaming numbers.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Investors are trying to price in the downside stock impact of the AI boom, and advertising agencies like WPP, Omnicom Group and Publicis Groupe could be at risk. That’s after a report that Amazon is working on its own AI tools to generate photos and videos that could help it push more ad formats to smaller sellers. Analysts, meanwhile, are warning (and even putting together stock baskets) of other companies under threat.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Block CFO Amrita Ahuja discusses the company’s earnings, cash app growth, and how worked it with regulators about the issues raised in a short seller report around its verification and compliance programs. Plus, Dropbox CEO Drew Houston says AI played a role when it cut 16% of its workforce last week, but warns that “replacing people with AI shouldn’t be the only motivation.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You’ve heard about the AI winners – Microsoft, Google, Nvidia and others leading the shift. But what about AI roadkill? The companies who could see their entire business models eviscerated by the coming wave of generative AI? Edtech company Chegg was the first public company to blame AI and ChatGPT for a weak outlook, and lost 50% of its value in one day. But it won’t be the last. This week on TechCheck weekly, the companies most at risk from the AI revolution.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Apple is set to report earnings after the bell today, but calling it just a hardware or software company is stale. Instead, Deirdre Bosa explains why more and more analysts are naming it a “can’t live without” consumer staples company. Plus, some of the biggest names in tech including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman were at the White House today, meeting with Biden himself to discuss tech's moral responsibilities around AI development.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chegg shares were cut nearly in half after its CEO described how students have increasingly turned to ChatGPT in recent months, hurting new user growth. And that’s not the only company with big news today on AI disruption. IBM said it plans to pause hiring for roles that could be replaced by AI, showing just how much the new technology is creeping into all corners of society. But is AI ultimately going to be a net positive or net negative? A CNBC panel weighs in. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Softbank’s chip designer Arm has confidentially filed to go public, seeking a valuation of $30 billion to $70 billion in what is shaping up to be the biggest IPO of the year. Could it be the key to thawing a frozen IPO pipeline? Plus, investor Brad Gerstner lit into Sundar Pichai for losing Google’s AI lead to OpenAI, leaving investors questioning whether he can get tough on the issue.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Carl Quintanilla sits down with Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck, co-creators, writers and executive producers behind HBO’s five-part mini-series “White House Plumbers” based on the true story of Nixon's Watergate "masterminds," E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy. The two discuss balancing historical fact and satire, the painstaking process behind recreating real-life locations, and why both Gregory and Huyck believe the show’s fresh take on the famous robbery is “the greatest story people have never heard.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.