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☆ Analysts see more gains for Apple going forward, but some warn of mounting headwinds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

AAPL YTD mountain Apple stock was trading lower after quarterly results. Apple doesn't provide official forward guidance and has not done so since 2020 over macroeconomic uncertainty. Morgan Stanley's Erik Woodring reiterated an overweight rating on Apple but lowered his price target to $215 from $220. Bank of America's Wamsi Mohan remained neutral on Apple, accompanied by a $210 price target that equates to roughly 10% upside. Rakers maintained an overweight rating on Apple stock with a $225 price target, or about 18% upside from Thursday.

Persons: Apple, Luca Maestri didn't, Apple doesn't, Morgan Stanley's Erik Woodring, Woodring, Morgan Stanley, America's Wamsi Mohan, Mohan, Citi's Atif Malik, Malik, Wells, Aaron Rakers, JPMorgan's Samik Chatterjee, Chatterjee, Goldman Sachs, Michael Ng, Apple's, Ng, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Apple, America's

☆ Here's the trade on Apple ahead of Thursday's earnings, according to analysts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Several analysts remain bullish, hiking their price targets in the weeks leading up to Apple's earnings report — despite the stock's 50% runup so far this year. His $220 price target suggests the stock can rally more than 12% from Tuesday's close. Bank of America remains neutral on the stock, but boosted its price target to $210 on July 19. His price target of $149 suggests nearly 24% downside. Her price target of $190 suggests roughly 3% downside from Tuesday's close.

Persons: Samik Chatterjee, Chatterjee, Morgan Stanley, Erik Woodring, Goldman Sachs, Michael Ng, Apple, Wamsi Mohan, Mohan, Tim Long, Grace Chen, Chen, Piper Sandler, TD Cowen, Baird, — CNBC's Michael Bloom, Kif Leswing Organizations: Apple, JPMorgan, Services, Bank of America, Barclays, UBS Locations: Apple's, Tuesday's, Asia

☆ Here's the trade on Apple ahead of Thursday’s earnings, according to analysts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

☆ AI startup Tractable raises $65 million in Series E round led by Japanese investment giant SoftBank
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Artificial intelligence startup Tractable has raised a $65 million Series E led by SoftBank. The startup deploys AI to visually assess damaged cars and properties for insurers. Artificial intelligence startup Tractable has raised $65 million in a round led by Japanese investment giant SoftBank. Tractable last raised funds in a $60 million Series D round when it was valued at over $1 billion. The company declined to comment on the valuation attached to its Series E round, which also included existing investors Insight Partners and Georgian.

Persons: SoftBank, Masayoshi Son, Son, Alex Dalyac, Venkat Sathyamurthy, Mohan Mahadevan, Nahoko Hoshino, Dalyac Organizations: Insight Partners, Vision Fund, Adobe, SoftBank Investment Locations: London, New York, Japan

☆ YouTube is testing an online-games offering - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 23 (Reuters) - YouTube is internally testing a product for playing online games, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday citing an email sent to employees at parent company Google (GOOGL.O). The company invited its employees to begin testing the new YouTube product called 'Playables', the report said, adding that games available for testing included titles such as arcade game Stack Bounce. A spokeperson for YouTube said that gaming has long been a focus, adding that the company was experimenting with new features and had "nothing to announce right now." Hosting online games on YouTube, which is a popular place for users to stream games and watch livestreamed game footage is part of CEO Neal Mohan's push into new areas of growth amid a slowdown in advertising spending, the WSJ report said. Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Neal Mohan's, Akanksha, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: YouTube, Wall Street, Google, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 24, 2021. Washington also wants to wean India away from its traditional defence partner Russia. Though Modi has made several previous visits to the United States, this will be his first with the full diplomatic status of an official state visit, just the third of Biden's presidency and third by any Indian leader. "It’s a milestone in our relationship...It is a very significant visit, very important visit," India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters on Monday. Modi will also meet American CEOs and lead an International Yoga Day event at the UN headquarters.

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Evelyn Hockstein, Modi, Vinay Kwatra, Kwatra, General, Ely Ratner, Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Raja Mohan, Krishn Kaushik, Sarita Chaganti Singh, David Brunnstrom Organizations: India's, White, REUTERS, Indian, . Congress, JET, General Electric, U.S ., Defense, Pacific Affairs, UN, Asia Society Policy, Rajesh, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, India, DELHI, WASHINGTON, United States, Washington, Washington and New Delhi, Pacific . Washington, Russia, New Delhi, Moscow, Ukraine, West, China, Cooperation, New York, U.S, Asia, NEW DELHI

☆ ‘Never Have I Ever’ comes to an end. Its stars reflect on what made the show so special
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

For one, she wasn’t the only South Asian person there. For another, she and her fellow South Asian castmates Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Poorna Jagannathan were the leads of the show. “From that day forward, every day that I was on set until the last day we wrapped up season four, that realization hit me every single day,” Moorjani said in a Zoom call. And as the beloved show comes to an end, its stars are reflecting back on its legacy. That she is the lead of the show is in itself significant for South Asian representation.

Persons: Richa Moorjani, ”, Poorna Jagannathan, Devi, Kamala, ” Moorjani, Mindy Kaling, Lang Fisher, she’s, ” Ramakrishnan, “, There’s Nirmala, Ranjita, Megan Suri, That’s, it’s, Jagannathan, ” “, subtler, Nalini, Mohan, ” Jagannathan, I’ve, you’re, “ It’s, Kaling’s Organizations: CNN, Netflix, Princeton, Variety Locations: United States, Devi, Indian, Hollywood, Sherman Oaks , California, American, India

☆ 'A revolutionary product': Here's what Wall Street is saying about Apple's new Vision Pro headset device that costs $3,499
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Apple announced the Vision Pro, a $3,499 mixed-reality headset that will be released in early 2024. Wall Street is reacting to the device, with one analyst expecting more than 1 million units sold in its first year. The $3,499 Vision Pro headset offers both augmented- and virtual-reality capabilities, hand-based gesture controls, and advanced eye tracking. Those ranges imply that the Vision Pro will generate between $525 million and $5.2 billion in revenue next year. Rating: Neutral — Price Target: $190"The price tag of $3,499 was higher than the $3K broadly speculated.

Persons: —, Wedbush, Dan Ives, America's Wasmi Mohan, Price, Samik Chatterjee, Goldman Sachs, We're, Michael Ng Organizations: Apple, Vision, Apple Watch, Service, Bank of America, Wall, Meta, Bank, America's, JPMorgan Locations: Cupertino

☆ Apple just hit another record high ahead of the launch of a VR headset Wall Street says could 'dominate' the market
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple stock hit a record high on Monday as investors await the rumored announcement of a mixed reality headset. The near-$3 trillion tech giant is expected to unveil the AR/VR device at this week's developers conference. Bank of America said Apple could "dominate" the AR/VR market with its rumored device. Apple stock is up 42% year-to-date, and is up 48% from its 52-week low reached at the start of this year. If Apple is successful in creating a rich ecosystem with the headset, we could see upside to Services growth rates," Mohan said.

Persons: Apple, —, America's Wasmi Mohan, Mohan Organizations: Bank of America, Service, Apple, Worldwide Developers, Meta, Bank, America's Locations: Friday's

[1/2] A smartphone with the Netflix logo lies in front of displayed "Streaming service" words in this illustration taken March 24, 2020. Companies often face legal cases and police complaints their content sometimes hurt religious sentiment, and many have self-censored content over the years. As part of India's anti-tobacco drive, the health ministry this week ordered streaming platforms should within three months insert static health warnings during smoking scenes. The companies, and India's health ministry, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. But in India, companies from Netflix to Amazon (AMZN.O) to Disney (DIS.N), also have popular Hindi content which often shows Bollywood actors smoking, something activists say encourages tobacco use.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Mukesh Ambani's, Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine, Ambani's JioCinema, Kaushik Moitra, Dylan Mohan Gray, Aditya Kalra, Biplob Kumar Das, Tony Tharakan, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, David Evans Organizations: Netflix, REUTERS, Disney, Companies, Reuters, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros, Bharucha, Partners, Thomson Locations: India, DELHI, New Delhi, Bengaluru

☆ Why Apple's VR headset could succeed where every similar product has failed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

On Monday, Apple is expected to announce its first new major product line since the Apple Watch in 2014. During Apple's software-focused developer conference, WWDC, it could release its first mixed-reality headset, according to analyst research, media reports and increasingly, vague references from Apple itself. The headset, according to reports, will feature high-definition screens in front of the user's eyes. But since then, sales for existing VR headsets haven't been great, usage has been worse and the anticipated explosion in successful VR software companies hasn't happened. Apple's headset is expected to be more powerful than what's out there — even current $6,500 VR headsets.

Persons: what's, Apple, Wamsi Mohan, Microsoft's Hololens, Ming, Chi Kuo, Cowen, Krish Sankar, Peggy Johnson, it's Organizations: Apple, Apple Watch, Bank of America, Facebook, Meta, VR, U.S . Army, TFI Securities, CNBC

☆ 10 things in tech: Epstein appeared to threaten Gates, Apple gets its AI cut, and a Twitter hotel
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Michael Cogley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Cupertino-based tech giant is taking its usual 30% cut from users signing up to ChatGPT Plus through the app, according to a note from Bernstein analysts. A spokesperson for Gates told the WSJ that Epstein had "tried unsuccessfully to leverage a past relationship" to threaten the tech billionaire. Microsoft's marketing chief told staffers to bump the stock prices for raises. The tech giant has already managed to outpace the market with shares up 33% so far this year. The tech giant just launched two new Pixel phones.

☆ Bank of America says buy these five tech stocks before it's too late
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Bank of America named a slew of tech stocks that are just too attractive to ignore. IBM The evolution of IBM continues, Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan said after attending the company's recent Think event. "We believe IBM will embark on further cost cutting, and enhance its services and software offerings through acquisitions," he said. The stock finished the week up 3.6% this year, and Bank of America sees plenty more gains for the legacy tech giant. IBM "IBM expect to monetize AI first through Services and expects a later inflection in Software as adoption scales.

☆ YouTube's subscription business is already a third the size of Netflix
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Ryan Joe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

YouTube's subscription revenue is a third the size of Netflix's, according to asset management firm AllianceBernstein. Asset management firm AlliacneBernstein did the math and noticed that YouTube's last four quarters of ad revenue was $29 billion, which puts its subscriptions revenue at $11 billion. YouTube's ad revenue had declined for three consecutive quarters, dipping 2.6% to $6.7 billion in the last quarter. "We really want to be a platform for all things video," Mohan said. Bolstering the creator aspect around NFL Sunday Ticket will also help YouTube's ad business, Mohan said.

☆ YouTube's top exec Neal Mohan revealed its total revenues were $40 billion last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Ryan Joe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

YouTube's revenue last year was $40 billion mostly from ads, its chief Neal Mohan said at a recent conference. Newly appointed YouTube chief Neal Mohan said the company's revenue was $40 billion in revenue over the last twelve months. He declined to split out YouTube's revenue between ads and subscription products, like YouTube TV, Premium, and Music. YouTube's ad revenue had declined for three consecutive quarters, dipping 2.6% to $6.7 billion in the last quarter. Bolstering the creator aspect around NFL Sunday Ticket will also help YouTube's ad business, Mohan said.

☆ 'Solid iPhone demand to offset Mac weakness': Here's what Wall Street expects from Apple's hotly anticipated earnings report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Apple stock is set to report its second-quarter earnings results after the market close on Thursday. From solid iPhone demand to the launch of a massive stock buyback, a lot is expected from the largest company in the world. BofA analyst Wasmi Mohan estimated that Apple will announce an $80 billion stock buyback program, which would be a decrease from last year's $90 billion stock buyback authorization. Goldman Sachs: "Expecting solid iPhone demand to offset Mac weakness." Wedbush: "All focus on stable iPhone demand despite macro storm."

☆ Apple to issue disappointing forecast this week, Bank of America predicts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Investors should brace for lower forward guidance from tech giant Apple on Thursday, according to Bank of America. Research analyst Wamsi Mohan said the firm expects Apple to at least meet consensus expectations on both earnings per share and revenue for its fiscal second quarter. Bank of America is calling for earnings of $1.40 per share on revenue of $92.4 billion, compared to the Street's expectations of $1.43 in earnings per share and $92.9 billion. Asset management firm Bernstein also noted concern on Apple last week heading into earnings. Mohan also noted further points of contention for Apple include ongoing negotiations with Google and the rise of search engine Bing .

VARANASI, India, April 26 (Reuters) - Murali Mohan Sastry is waiting peacefully for death on the banks of the Ganges River in India's northern city of Varanasi, revered by millions of Hindus. More than a decade ago, the 82-year-old former college teacher and his wife left behind comfortable lives in the southern city of Hyderabad. Now he hopes that by dying in Varanasi, he can break the tenuous cycle of death and rebirth, an article of faith for many Hindus, in order to attain salvation. "We invite death," Sastry said soon after chanting his dawn prayers while dipping fully clothed into the waters of the river three times. Still, the devout unable to breathe their last in the holy city can take solace from the Hindu belief that will come a step closer to salvation if their remains are cremated there.

☆ YouTube offered shopping features for viewers to buy merch during the Coachella livestream event, part of its continued testing in the space
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

YouTube sold merch virtually during the official Coachella livestream event. Viewers could purchase the merch exclusively through YouTube Shopping. YouTube Shopping partnered with Coachella to sell exclusive merch during the platform's annual livestream event. The Coachella products were made available for purchase directly on the livestream and through YouTube shorts on Coachella's YouTube channel. Alphabet execs mentioned YouTube's shopping efforts during its Q1 earnings call on Tuesday, highlighting that there were more than 100,000 stores connected to sell products on YouTube Shopping.

☆ YouTube Looking Into Gandhi’s Claim Political Videos in India Suppressed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Newley Purnell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Two videos criticizing India’s government are alleged to be receiving far fewer views than YouTube analytics suggest they should. YouTube’s chief executive said in an email that the company is looking into a claim by Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi that the Alphabet Inc. unit is suppressing his videos criticizing India’s ruling party and a billionaire who controls a conglomerate accused of wide-ranging fraud. The March 25 email from YouTube’s Neal Mohan , which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, came in response to a letter sent two weeks earlier from the leader of a group of overseas Indians who support Mr. Gandhi’s Congress party.

☆ Two Indian pilots were grounded after a photo of coffee and snacks balanced dangerously on cockpit controls was shared on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A photo shared on social media showed an uncovered cup of coffee perched on a plane's cockpit controls. Indian airline SpiceJet grounded the two pilots, adding that disciplinary action would follow. The photo, which was shared widely on social media, does not show the pilots' faces. "All pilots are aware of the dangers of spilled liquids in the cockpit," he said, per the media outlet. Indian aviation rules allow pilots to have food and drink in the cockpit but under strict guidelines, per BBC News.

☆ Powerful Indian Hindu group backs government's opposition to same-sex marriage recognition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, March 14 (Reuters) - The ideological parent of India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has backed the government position against recognising same-sex marriage, months after raising hopes with supportive comments on gay rights. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP government has opposed recognising same-sex marriage and urged the Supreme Court to reject challenges to the current legal framework lodged by LGBT couples. "Marriage can only take place between persons of opposite genders, we agree with the government's stance on same-sex marriage," the Press Trust of India news agency quoted Dattatreya Hosabale, a top official of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), as saying. Although Bhagwat had not referred specifically to same-sex marriage, his comments could force the government to reassess its opposition, a junior minister in the federal government and a senior BJP leader had said at the time. The RSS, established in 1925, is a powerful Hindu group estimated to have millions of active members across India and overseas.

☆ A generation of high-profile women tech leaders have stepped aside. What’s next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The tech industry has now lost an entire generation of trailblazing women leaders and replaced them mostly with men. And in the wake of the pandemic, women leaders in corporate America more broadly are more likely than ever to quit, according to the most recent Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org. Now that she’s departing, Big Tech is facing a new reckoning over its failure to promote and support women leaders, and what this could mean for the next generation of women in the industry. “Without women in the C-suite who have come before them, it could make this transition period tougher for next generation women leaders,” Kray said. “I think that what she achieved and what she modeled will be something that will live on beyond the fact that now we don’t have a female Big Tech CEO.”

☆ YouTubers and creator-economy insiders react to the sudden CEO shake-up, and describe the challenges that will define the future of the platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Marta Biino | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki is stepping down, and being replaced by chief product officer Neal Mohan. YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki's sudden announcement on Thursday that she is stepping down has sent shockwaves through the creator community. Wojcicki has been YouTube's CEO since 2014, and joined parent company Google in 1999 as its first marketing manager. Chief product officer Neal Mohan will be taking over her role, having previously been in charge of key products like the short-video platform YouTube Shorts and launched subscription services YouTube Premium and YouTube TV. "Susan understood from the beginning the importance of content creators on YouTube," said Alessandro Bogliari, CEO and cofounder of The Influencer Marketing Factory.

Not only have marketers been pausing ad spend en masse, YouTube is also battling TikTok for audiences and content creators. Industry insiders credit Mohan with building out the ad products that made YouTube Google's main growth engine for so many years. Tal Chalozin, CTO and cofounder of the adtech company Innovid, said that Mohan's expertise stretches across all of YouTube's ad business, particularly adtech. "He was leading product for the launch of YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, and the growth of YouTube Music," said one former YouTube employee. "It's now Neal and YouTube against TikTok, and that's the existential battle for short-form video monetization and creators," Norman said.

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