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Category: business – Page 2

It Feels Like Apple Is Trying To Lose

Apple’s prioritization of shareholder value through massive share buybacks over investing in innovation and R&D may be a strategic misstep that could hinder its future success and allow competitors to gain an edge, particularly in emerging markets like AI

## Questions to inspire discussion.

Innovation and Investment.

🔬 Q: How could Apple’s buyback program have been used differently? A: A: Apple’s $700 billion share buyback over the past decade could have been invested in R&D to develop innovative products like a car, potentially yielding greater long-term value.

🤖 Q: What is Apple’s current stance on AI development? A: Apple’s inaction in AI is notable, with Siri’s performance declining over time, indicating a lack of focus on this crucial technology sector.

Product Development and Market Strategy.

Continue reading “It Feels Like Apple Is Trying To Lose” | >

Discover How AI is Transforming Quantum Computing

Quantum technologies have had a meteoric rise and become a key area of prioritization for governments, academics, and businesses. Government funding commitments total almost $40 billion, while private investments since 2021 total nearly $8 billion. The US agency, National Institute of Standards and Technology, released this year three new post-quantum security standards, which governments classify as ‘critical resources’ for the economy and national defense. Meanwhile, users of quantum technologies experiment with them, from industry applications in drug development and materials science to energy grid optimization and logistics efficiency.

Yet, besides a few areas, such as quantum sensing, practical and impactful quantum technologies haven’t matured for widespread use. However, when combined with classical machine learning, practical use cases emerge.

This article delves into the impact and potential of artificial intelligence and quantum technologies with QAI Ventures, a financial partner and ecosystem builder in quantum technologies and AI, as a potential collaborator for startups to deliver investment, resources, global networks, and tailored accelerator and incubator programs.

This article covers AI and quantum technologies with QAI Ventures, a financial partner and ecosystem builder in emerging technologies.

Meta Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results

We expect first quarter 2025 total revenue to be in the range of $39.5–41.8 billion. This reflects 8–15% year-over-year growth, or 11–18% growth on a constant currency basis as our guidance assumes foreign currency is an approximately 3% headwind to year-over-year total revenue growth, based on current exchange rates. This also reflects the effect of lapping leap day in the first quarter of 2024. While we are not providing a full year 2025 revenue outlook, we expect the investments we are making in our core business this year will give us an opportunity to continue delivering strong revenue growth throughout 2025.

(The first quarter 😳)

Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: META) today reported financial results for the quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024. “We continue to make good progress on AI, glasses, and the future of social media,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO. “I’m excited to see these efforts scale further in 2025.” Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Highlights Three Months Ended December 31, % Change Twelve Months Ended December 31, % Change In millions, except percentages and per share amounts 2024 2023 2024 2023 Revenue $48,385 $40,111 21% $164,501 $134,902 22% Costs and expenses 25,020 23,727 5% 95,121 88,151 8% Income from operations $23,365 $16,384 43% $69,380 $46,751 48% Operating margin 48% 41% 42% 35% Provision for.

From Purple Rain To AI’s Technology Reign!

Bruce and John are embracing AI innovation, one hug at a time.

In the latest episode of AI Bros, Bruce Burke and John Lawson III take listeners on a journey through the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, peppered with personal anecdotes and industry insights. Titled “From Purple Rain to AI’s Technology Reign,” this episode is a testament to the dynamic nature of technology and its impact on various sectors.

The conversation begins with a light-hearted discussion about Prince’s iconic “Sign O’ the Times” concert film, which is being re-released in IMAX. Bruce and John reminisce about the legendary artist’s influence and the technological advancements that have allowed his work to be experienced in new formats. This naturally leads into a broader conversation about how industries, including the adult industry, are often at the forefront of adopting new technologies.

As the discussion progresses, the focus shifts to the recent release of ChatGPT-5 by OpenAI. Bruce and John explore the mixed reactions from the tech community, highlighting the improvements in reasoning and factual accuracy promised by the new model. They delve into the implications of these advancements for businesses and consumers alike, noting the strategic moves by companies like OpenAI to make AI more accessible and integrated into everyday life.

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the economic impact of AI, particularly the rapid creation of wealth in the sector. Bruce shares insights from a report by CB Insights, revealing the unprecedented speed at which AI companies are minting new billionaires. The hosts ponder the sustainability of such rapid growth and the potential for a bubble, offering a thoughtful analysis of the current economic landscape.

Throughout the episode, John and Bruce also touch on the personalization features of AI models, which allow users to tailor interactions to their preferences. They discuss the emotional attachment users develop with AI, drawing parallels to the nostalgia some feel for older versions of technology. This personalization, they argue, offers both enhanced user experiences and potential challenges in managing user expectations.

As the episode draws to a close, Bruce and John reflect on the future of AI and its role in shaping industries and personal lives. They emphasize the importance of embracing innovation and staying informed about technological advancements.

Continue reading “From Purple Rain To AI’s Technology Reign!” | >

Boom-free supersonic jet aims for New York–Paris in less than 4 hours

Boston-based aerospace manufacturer Spike Aerospace says it has reached a new stage in developing its flagship supersonic business jet, the Spike S-512 Diplomat, which the company claims will offer fast, quiet, and fuel-efficient travel over land and water.

The Massachusetts-based aerospace firm announced Wednesday that it is completing an advanced design study to refine the S-512’s aerodynamics, cabin configuration, and low-boom capabilities.

Cybercrime Groups ShinyHunters, Scattered Spider Join Forces in Extortion Attacks on Businesses

An ongoing data extortion campaign targeting Salesforce customers may soon turn its attention to financial services and technology service providers, as ShinyHunters and Scattered Spider appear to be working hand in hand, new findings show.

“This latest wave of ShinyHunters-attributed attacks reveals a dramatic shift in tactics, moving beyond the group’s previous credential theft and database exploitation,” ReliaQuest said in a report shared with The Hacker News.

These include the use of adoption of tactics that mirror those of Scattered Spider, such as highly-targeted vishing (aka voice phishing) and social engineering attacks, leveraging apps that masquerade as legitimate tools, employing Okta-themed phishing pages to trick victims into entering credentials during vishing, and VPN obfuscation for data exfiltration.

Tesla’s New Strategy Has Uber Terrified

Questions to inspire discussion.

👥 Q: What is the ratio of robo taxis to supervisors in Tesla’s network? A: Tesla’s robo taxi network operates with a 10:1 ratio of robo taxis to supervisors, enabling efficient management and cost-effective operations.

Market Disruption.

📊 Q: How is Whim, a Tesla competitor, performing in the market? A: As of April 2025, Whim has 25% of San Francisco gross bookings, surpassing Lyft, with an average price of $20 per mile compared to Uber’s $15 and Lyft’s $14.

Technology Superiority.

🤖 Q: How does Tesla’s robo taxi software compare to human drivers? A: Tesla’s robo taxi software has crossed the uncanny valley, providing a smooth and comfortable driving experience similar to a human chauffeur, outperforming Uber’s inconsistent service.

Continue reading “Tesla’s New Strategy Has Uber Terrified” | >

Chat With Your Enterprise Data Through Open-Source AI-Q NVIDIA Blueprint

Enterprise data is exploding—petabytes of emails, reports, Slack messages, and databases pile up faster than anyone can read. Employees are left searching for answers in a sea of information, as “68% of available data in an organization goes unused,” according to market researcher Gartner1.

That’s now possible with today’s availability of AI-Q, an open-source NVIDIA Blueprint that puts your business knowledge at your fingertips. AI-Q is a free, reference implementation for building artificial general agents (AGA) that connect to your enterprise data; reason across multimodal data sources using the latest AGI models; and deliver comprehensive, fast, accurate answers—securely and at scale.

AI-Q provides a developer-friendly workflow example for building an AI-powered agent that can:

NASA and Google are building an AI medical assistant to keep Mars-bound astronauts healthy

That looming reality is pushing NASA to gradually make on-orbit medical care more “Earth-independent.” One early experiment is a proof-of-concept AI medical assistant the agency is building with Google. The tool, called Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant (CMO-DA), is designed to help astronauts diagnose and treat symptoms when no doctor is available or communications to Earth are blacked out.

The multimodal tool, which includes speech, text, and images, runs inside Google Cloud’s Vertex AI environment.

The project is operating under a fixed-price Google Public Sector subscription agreement, which includes the cost for cloud services, the application development infrastructure, and model training, David Cruley, customer engineer at Google’s Public Sector business unit, told TechCrunch. NASA owns the source code to the app and has helped fine-tune the models. The Google Vertex AI platform provides access to models from Google and other third parties.

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