TechCheck

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 ten teams from around the world racing on the most iconic waterfronts in the world. Avenue Capital’s Marc Lasry also has taken an interest, leading the investing group that acquired the U.S. team for more than $35 million. We sit down exclusively with SailGP CEO and champion yachtsman Russell Coutts on the league’s growth, its high-profile investors, skyrocketing funding, and more.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 reportedly backed away from acquiring marketing software firm, HubSpot. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 companies should be sharing about security incidents, and how transparent OpenAI is as its influence grows. Plus, the Meta-owned social media app Threads is celebrating its one year anniversary today, and has now hit 175 million monthly active users, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. But AI startups are increasingly putting traditional social apps on the backfoot as AI-generated content becomes king.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Between last week’s debate and today’s Supreme Court ruling, Silicon Valley is thinking more than ever about what another Trump presidency would mean for the tech industry. A friendlier deal environment could benefit megacaps and the small to midcap software names. Gig economy names and American e-commerce would also get some relief from a lighter touch. On the flipside, the Trump short tech basket includes Temu-owner Pinduoduo and social media names.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 valuation and latest, monster quarter. But the largest companies in the world are also typically the most well-known… and Nvidia is far from being a household name. And the last time a tech company without mass brand recognition became the most valuable in the world? That was Cisco in the late 90s. Is another bubble brewing? This week on TechCheck, the stock everyone owns and no one knows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 billion and making it one of the most valuable startups in the space. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, since Masayoshi Son and his team have been saying for months now that they’re going on the AI offensive, but is another sign of the red hot funding environment for AI startups.   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 is at Figma's "Config" Conference in San Francisco with Figma CEO Dylan Field. Following a regulatory block of Adobe’s $20 billion acquisition of Figma last December, the San Francisco software design firm received a $1 billion breakup fee and is forging ahead with product launches and further software partnering with Google. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Another major antitrust charge is coming out of the European Union today, saying that Microsoft’s bundling of Teams with other software like Office 365 is an unfair distribution advantage. It comes a day after the EU hit Apple with the first charge under the new Digital Markets Act, accusing its App Store policies of violating competition rules. Investors don’t seem to be worried, but this new chapter in European regulation could lead to tens of billions of dollars in fines.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 customers from being steered to customers alternative, cheaper options. It could have key implications for Apple’s AI strategy, as it reportedly holds talks with longtime rival Meta to form an unlikely alliance, potentially offering Meta’s large language model Llama to Apple Intelligence.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 today. He also doubled down on the narrative that he's now going on the AI offensive, with a new strategy built around the company’s crown jewel and largest holding, Arm.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.