TechCheck

Early Prime Day data looks positive for Amazon, with shoppers spending $6.4 billion on the first day, up almost 6% from last year and making for the single biggest e-commerce day in 2023 according to Adobe. Former Target Vice Chair Jerry Storch joins us for a read on the consumer. Plus, less than two years ago Nvidia tried to buy Arm for some $40 billion, but failed because of anti-trust issues. Flash forward to today, and Nvidia could reportedly anchor the chip designer’s IPO – set to be the biggest this year.

Amazon Prime Day Kicks Off Description: Amazon Prime Day begins today -- Adobe forecasts the 2-day sales event will drive $13.1 billion in U.S. online spend, 9.5% more than last year. As for Prime signups though? Consumer Intelligence thinks memberships are at saturation, estimating 167 million Americans are members, down from 170 million last year. 

Sarah Silverman and other authors are suing Meta and OpenAI over claims of using their content without permission to train chatbots. It raises the question of whether copyright is an existential threat to AI, and the limits of how much AI can actually leverage content on the internet. Plus, Amazon Prime Day kicks off tomorrow – but how much do we care? Many investors aren’t buying the stock for e-commerce anymore, instead shifting focus to the faster-growing and more lucrative AWS and even advertising businesses instead.  

CNBC's Jon Fortt discusses all things tech including Amazon's advantage in A.I and Meta's "Threads" app.

Despite the hype around generative AI, the funding environment for startups and VCs remains tight according to Pitchbook data. Softbank though is bucking that trend with a new investment in a Japanese robotics startup, just weeks after promising to go back on the offensive. Plus, shares of Alibaba soared today after China hit Ant Group with a nearly $1 billion fine, signaling an end to its era of tech crackdowns, allowing the company and private enterprises in the country more broadly to revive growth.  

Gig economy stocks like Uber and DoorDash hit session lows after saying they're suing New York City over a law that raises delivery workers' minimum wage to $17.96/hour, nearly tripling their base pay. But it changes the calculus as investors continue to look to the apps for profitability. Plus, as the U.S. gets tough in the tech fight against China, Amazon could be caught in the middle. Biden administration cloud restrictions could hurt AWS, while Chinese e-commerce sites like Pinduoduo’s Temu and Shein are also quietly making inroads with American consumers.  

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s tenure has been characterized by greater fiscal discipline, and now he’s reportedly looking to streaming as a way to cut costs – taking a hard look at the finances of producing pricey original like “Rings of Power” and “Citadel” despite mixed ratings. Plus, Chinese companies have been exploiting loopholes in the U.S. export ban on chips – including by renting access to high-end chips and their compute power through cloud companies like Amazon’s AWS and Microsoft’s Azure. A new Biden administration restriction could curb that. 

AI startups saw a funding explosion this year, with more than 20 generative AI unicorns now in the landscape, according to Pitchbook data. OpenAI backer and Inflection AI co-founder Reid Hoffman discussed what’s next for these startups, and whether they’ll be able to outlast the megacaps. 

In this special report, CNBC's Diedre Bosa discusses money flowing into AI, the lack of tech IPO's and the downstream impact on Bay Area real estate.

AI startup Typeface announced today it raised $100 million at a $1 billion valuation. It’s the latest in a string of new AI unicorns – a bright spot amid a wider slowdown in startup funding. Plus, the FTC is gearing up for its biggest suit against Amazon yet, according to Bloomberg. What it could mean for Amazon’s already razor-thin e-commerce margins.