TechCheck

Shares of Facebook parent company Meta are still hitting fresh all-time highs today. But one potential headwind could be a slowdown in growth at one of its biggest customers, Temu. The Chinese e-commerce app has seen new customer activations stall, according to new data, which could also put Alphabet under pressure.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

23andMe could get delisted from the Nasdaq after all 7 members of its board resigned this week. CEO Anne Wojcicki is a big name in Silicon Valley but has struggled to find a sustainable business model and shares are 99% off its peak valuation post-SPAC merger. Wojcicki is now hoping to pivot and take the company private by buying back all outstanding shares in what could be seen as a “founders mode” leadership move.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The AI boom is putting a big strain on America’s energy grid, as big tech companies scramble for more energy capacity by buying up nuclear-powered data centers or investing in renewable energy sources. White House officials convened the leaders of top AI companies to discuss how to move forward, including Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang who spoke exclusively to CNBC on the opportunity ahead for public and private collaboration. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The race to perfect the robotaxi is on. Tesla is prepping for its October 10 self-driving event as Waymo raises industry standards with a brand new safety dashboard, making the case that its vehicles are actually safety than human drivers.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Funding for AI startups is still white hot. The search startup Glean just announced a new funding round that would double its valuation in just six months, raising $260 million at a $4.6 billion valuation. Plus, shares of Oracle are hitting all-time highs today after posting an earnings beat along with a slew of data center announcements and cloud computing partnerships. Keeping the edge though, could prove difficult for its chaiman Larry Ellison.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Apple’s biggest competition in China, Huawei, is trying to upstage the company with a smartphone event showdown. Its triple-folding phone is unveiling tonight, just a few hours after Apple’s iPhone reveal, and has already racked up more than 3 million pre-orders. Plus, the trial for the Department of Justice’s new case against Google around its advertising technology kicked off today, with potentially big implications for how users browse the internet.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shares of Tesla are sinking today, giving back its gains for the week but still outperforming the rest of the megacaps as investors bank on its proposition around full self-driving launches and AI. Plus, Apple is gearing up for its highly-anticipated “Glowtime” event on Monday, where it’s expected to unveil the iPhone 16 with AI features. But will it be enough to help the tech giant stake its place 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.

Valuations for AI startups are continuing to skyrocket. This time, OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever raising a whopping $1 billion as a seed round for his AI startup Safe Superintelligence Inc, with just around 10 employees and nowhere close to having a product. It's the epitome of a growing trend of a breakneck gen AI race for top talent.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Antitrust pressure against Google is ramping up this week, with a joint filing today from Google and the DOJ outlining their timeline for remedies from the Search case, followed quickly by the beginning of an ad tech trial. Plus, the post Labor Day-period is typically a busy one for IPOs, but not the case this year. We discuss the outlook for IPOs, market trends, and big tech’s antitrust concerns with Notable Capital Managing Partner Jeff Richards.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Megacaps including Microsoft, Google and Amazon have been getting creative with how they’re poaching talent from top AI startups. Google with Character.ai, Microsoft with Inflection and Amazon’s faux-acquisition of Adept. They hire away prominent founders and talent and cut a deal to license technology… without actually buying the startups. It’s a playbook that skirts the regulatory crackdown on big tech dominance, provides an exit for AI startups struggling to make money and allows megacaps to pick up the expertise needed in the AI arms race. But while big tech might think they’re outsmarting antitrust enforcers, they could be playing with fire.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.