Opening Bid Unfiltered

Jonathan Ross, the Founder and CEO of Groq, discusses the innovative landscape of AI with insights from his experience designing custom chips at Google. He outlines the game-changing potential of Groq's language processing units (LPUs) versus Nvidia’s GPUs, highlighting competitive dynamics and challenges like HBM supply constraints. Ross shares his experiences from a recent tech trip to Saudi Arabia, explores the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, and reveals unique funding strategies vital for growing Groq's infrastructure.

There is arguably no better economic indicator than following demand trends from the largest railroad operators in the United States. Railroads, such as Warren Buffett-owned Burlington Northern and rivals Union Pacific (UNP) and CSX (CSX), haul everything from car parts to steel to coal to food. Therefore, whether the economy is doing badly or well is often captured in the top and bottom lines of railroads, more so than in wonky, backward-looking economic data from the government. With tariffs from the Trump administration starting to weigh on the economy, investors would be wise to check in on railroad operating performance. That’s just what the Yahoo team has done. Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi sits down on the Opening Bid podcast with CSX Corp.'s Joe Hinrichs to discuss current business trends amid the Trump tariff war. Hinrichs has a very unique view of the tariff situation, as he was a long-time top executive at Ford tasked with running its global operations. Are railroads predicting a recession? Does Trump’s ‘Made in America’ focus spell opportunity for railroads long-term? Sozzi and Hinrichs dig in! Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid, brings you a high-octane take on the freshest analyst calls, wildest stock moves and shrewdest commentary in the business world. Executive Editor Brian Sozzi puts Wall Street's finest through their paces in this essential conversation for every investor - before the stock market opens. Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid is hosted by Brian Sozzi, and produced by Langston Sessoms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One interesting call out from the latest earnings season is that big-time investments in AI continue despite signs the Trump administration’s tariff policy is weighing on the economy. Earnings results from AI leaders such as Nvidia (NVDA), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META) all indicated aggressive spending on AI projects to support demand from customers. You wouldn’t necessarily put Goldman Sachs in the camp of big AI spenders – but you would be wrong not to do so. The investment bank is investing in generative AI across the company to speed up things such as deal analysis to mundane back-office tasks. Leading the charge on AI at Goldman Sachs is former Amazon AWS exec Marco Argenti. Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi welcomes Argenti to the Opening Bid roundtable to discuss the work being done on the AI front by one of the most prominent investment banks in the world. Argenti says AI will increasingly be embedded into the work of Goldman’s 46,000 employees as it strives for operational efficiencies. The question is, will it make life easier for often overworked junior investment bankers, or are these pet AI projects that may have little return? Sozzi and Argenti dive in! Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid, brings you a high-octane take on the freshest analyst calls, wildest stock moves and shrewdest commentary in the business world. Executive Editor Brian Sozzi puts Wall Street's finest through their paces in this essential conversation for every investor - before the stock market opens. Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid is hosted by Brian Sozzi, and produced by Langston Sessoms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Activist investors such as Carl Icahn, Jeff Smith and Bill Ackman have long been known to be fearless. They lock in on a mismanaged, undervalued target and take executive teams and boards to task to drive shareholder value. Sometimes they are successful, sometimes not so much. But a new breed of activist investor is appearing nowadays, one more inclined to work with management and boards to achieve desired outcomes. Enter Arkhouse managing partner Gavriel Kahane, who led a campaign to buy struggling Macy’s (M) last year. Macy’s rejected his overtures much to the dismay of investors who have watched the stock plunge since. Kahane is back now with an effort to agitate for change at IAC (IAC), led by billionaire media mogul Barry Diller. Yahoo Finance executive editor Brian Sozzi talks on the Opening Bid podcast with Kahane about what he would like to see from Diller and IAC, and shares what may happen next at the media publisher. Kahane also doesn’t rule out taking another crack at buying Macy’s. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid, brings you a high-octane take on the freshest analyst calls, wildest stock moves and shrewdest commentary in the business world. Executive Editor Brian Sozzi puts Wall Street's finest through their paces in this essential conversation for every investor - before the stock market opens. Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid is hosted by Brian Sozzi, and produced by Langston Sessoms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Markets reacted as one would expect in the wake of the US–China trade agreement: with full-on cheerleading, despite a series of trade policy unknowns remaining. In fact, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.7% last Tuesday and has now reversed its losses on the year, showing a slight increase, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) advanced 1.8% on Tuesday after entering a new bull market in the prior session. Additionally, the "Magnificent Seven" complex — Big Tech names with a lot of cash in Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Meta (META), Tesla (TSLA), Nvidia (NVDA), Amazon (AMZN), and Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) — were back leading the market higher in a clear show of renewed risk appetite. But will the uptrend stay intact?Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi sits down on the Opening Bid podcast with veteran market strategist Adam Parker, founder of Trivariate Research. Parker was one of the early names on Wall Street to sound the alarm bells on stocks earlier this year amid tariff impact concerns. He also made a very correct call on the aforementioned Mag Seven stocks months ago before a swift sell-off. We discuss his next big calls and why they are his next big calls for clients. Parker is especially concerned about the outlook for corporate earnings. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid, brings you a high-octane take on the freshest analyst calls, wildest stock moves and shrewdest commentary in the business world. Executive Editor Brian Sozzi puts Wall Street's finest through their paces in this essential conversation for every investor - before the stock market opens. Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid is hosted by Brian Sozzi, and produced by Langston Sessoms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic, shares his insights on the challenges CEOs face amid the ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China. He discusses the impact of tariffs on supply chains and the necessity for strategic innovation in manufacturing. The conversation dives into the precarious nature of corporate financial guidance as executives grapple with market ambiguities. George also touches on the competitive strategies of major retailers, emphasizing the need for adaptive leadership in these uncertain times.

he pros say the US–China tariff thaw is not a deal, but rather a thaw in the ordeal triggered by the Trump administration. Whatever it is, the stock market likes the fact that US tariffs on China will be going down to 30% from 145% for the next 90 days as US and China officials negotiate further.The verdict is out on several fronts, however. For one, tariffs are still in place on China, and there is no guarantee they will all be removed. There is also no guarantee that there won't be a renewed escalation. Two, the US economy has started to weaken in the face of considerable policy uncertainty, and experts are not ruling out a mild recession. What that means for Fed policy will likely dictate how stocks trade throughout the summer.Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi welcomes former US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to the Opening Bid roundtable. Ross served in the first Trump administration when the then first-time president enacted tariffs. He has also known Trump for decades, gaining keen insight into how he operates on delicate matters. What's next in the trade war for investors? If there's anyone who might have an educated guess, it's business mogul turned policy expert Ross. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid, brings you a high-octane take on the freshest analyst calls, wildest stock moves and shrewdest commentary in the business world. Executive Editor Brian Sozzi puts Wall Street's finest through their paces in this essential conversation for every investor - before the stock market opens. Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid is hosted by Brian Sozzi, and produced by Langston Sessoms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lale Akener, a Global Markets Analyst at eToro, dives into the recent surge of the Magnificent 7 stocks, driven by impressive earnings from tech giants like Microsoft and Google, which defied expectations. He discusses the implications of China's tariff decisions on U.S. markets, balancing economic stability with ongoing challenges. Akener also highlights how Federal Reserve rate cuts could influence trade negotiations and the necessity for investors to diversify in response to trade tensions and fluctuating market conditions.

Laying the groundwork for the post-LeBron playing career investment portfolio, Yahoo Finance executive editor Brian Sozzi welcomes Klutch Sports founder and CEO Rich Paul to the Opening Bid mic at the Milken Institute Global Conference. Paul is seen as one of the most powerful agents in the world of sports. His first big client was NBA great LeBron James. The two met in 2002 at the Akron-Canton Airport, where a young James was impressed by a jersey Paul was wearing. Numbers were exchanged, and the two stayed in close contact. Paul went on to found Klutch Sports in 2012 in Cleveland, with James becoming a client. Klutch Sports now represents more than 300 athletes and is responsible for inking more than $400 billion in contracts. Other big-name clients Paul represents include NBA star Draymond Green and NFL phenom Jalen Hurts. Talent agency UTA made an undisclosed investment in Klutch Sports in 2019 — Paul is now the head of UTA Sports as well. Paul takes us inside what LeBron’s post-playing career life may look like and what the business of sports is shaping up to be over the next decade. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid, brings you a high-octane take on the freshest analyst calls, wildest stock moves and shrewdest commentary in the business world. Executive Editor Brian Sozzi puts Wall Street's finest through their paces in this essential conversation for every investor - before the stock market opens. Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid is hosted by Brian Sozzi, and produced by Langston Sessoms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The investing game in the field of sports is picking up, especially as it pertains to women’s athletics amid focus on new superstars such as Caitlin Clark. Yahoo Finance executive editor Brian Sozzi welcomes to the Opening Bid mic at the Milken Institute Global Conference managing partner and head of investments at Ariel Project Level Jason Wright. The former Arizona Cardinals running back was the NFL's first Black president, hired in August 2020 by the Washington Commanders to restore a franchise embroiled in toxic workplace controversies under then-controversial owner Dan Snyder. Wright stabilized the team culture and improved ticket sales. Private equity titan Josh Harris purchased the Commanders from Snyder in 2023 for more than $6 billion. Wright parted ways with the team in 2024, ultimately joining friend and former Starbucks (SBUX) chair Mellody Hobson at Ariel. Wright enters the field of women's sports investing at an important moment as female superstar athletes such as the WNBA's phenom Caitlin Clark and Olympic great Simone Biles continue to enter new territory with their eye-popping performances. Wright shares why he joined Ariel and the biggest sports investing opportunities he says moving forward.For full episodes of Opening Bid, listen on your favorite podcast platform or watch on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices