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☆ Microsoft Copilot's underperformance is the latest red flag for investments in AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The big storyA Copilot conundrumMicrosoft; Chelsea Jia Feng/BIMicrosoft's challenges with its flagship AI product could be another red flag for an industry with high hopes for the tech. Earlier this year, analysts at Barclays highlighted an under-the-radar risk to AI bets: the depreciation costs related to AI chips . A potential Trump trade plan beneficiary: US semiconductor jobs. If Trump's proposed trade plan is enacted, the American semiconductor industry could see hiring growth. Walmart might be just fine under Trump's proposed trade plan.

Persons: Copilot, Chelsea Jia Feng, Insider's Ashley Stewart, Satya Nadella didn't, doesn't, Ashley, It's, Sam Altman, Alistair Barr, Alyssa Powell, Jared Spataro, OpenAI, Biden, Carlyle, Will Matt Gaetz, Will Trump, Rob Arnott, Arnott, ANGELA WEISS, Trump's, Ilya Sutskever, Mira Murati, Rebecca Zisser, homebuyers, Trump, Bob Iger, Dan DeFrancesco, Grace Lett, Ella Hopkins, Hallam Bullock, Amanda Yen, New York.Milan Sehmbi Organizations: Business, Microsoft, Chelsea, Getty, Lumen Technologies, Barclays, Trump, Treasury, UFC, Republican, Getty Images, Elon, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue, Walmart, Walmart US, Shoppers, The Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Chicago, London, New York.Milan

☆ Those bold AGI predictions are suddenly looking stretched
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The generative AI boom has inspired bold AGI predictions ranging from this happening in 2025, 2026, or maybe 2027. AdvertisementThat's the main reason for huge gains in recent years in the performance of AI models. AdvertisementHorowitz noted several factors that are holding back AI model improvements, including a lack of new high-quality human data and problems sourcing the extra energy needed to power AI data centers. AGI questionsIf the main tried-and-true method for improving AI models is no longer working, we are unlikely to get AGI anytime soon. Altman's bold AGI predictions may also be an effective rallying cry for hard-working OpenAI employees.

Persons: Sam Altman, there's, that's, Oren Etzioni, Etzioni, Ilya Sutskever, Noam Brown, Google hasn't, Marc, Ben, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen, Horowitz, we're, OpenAI, Altman, we've, AGI, Elon Musk, It's Organizations: YouTube, Allen Institute, Tech, Reuters, Orion, Bloomberg, Google, AGI, Microsoft, Intel, Computer, Artificial Intelligence Locations: Seattle

☆ Instead of job killings, there's a strange AI hiring boom happening, according to Marc Andreessen
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Instead of killing jobs, generative AI is fueling a surprising job boom, according to the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. OpenAI and Google are struggling to significantly improve their next AI models, multiple media reports said this week. That's what makes these AI models smart, and without that, OpenAI and others are hitting a worrying wall. They're a function of the training data," Andreessen said. "And a big part of the AI hiring boom is actually hiring the experts to actually craft the answers to be able to train the AI."

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Horowitz, Andreessen, OpenAI, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen's Organizations: Google, AIs, Business, Andreessen Locations: chimed

Here's what needs to go right for Intel, the only US-based manufacturer of powerful chips. AdvertisementUS policymakers are still betting that Intel is the nation's best shot at manufacturing chips. Intel needs to balance the booksIntel plans to spin out its semiconductor manufacturing business into an independent subsidiary called Intel Foundry, separating the manufacturing process from its chip-design business. Not everyone is convinced that government intervention will help Intel get back on track in chip manufacturing. The report said they also discussed a potential merger between the company's chip design business and a competitor like AMD or Marvell.

Persons: —, Dow, It's, they're, Alistair Barr, Stacy Rasgon, Patrick Moorhead, Moorhead, they've, Logan Purk, Edward Jones, Dan Morgan, Pat Gelsinger, Morgan, Rasgon, Daniel Newman, hasn't, Newman, Gina Raimondo, Donald, it's, Mark Warner, Semafor Organizations: Wall Street, Intel, Service, Dow Jones, Nvidia, Business, Qualcomm, AMD, Dow, Bernstein Research, TSMC, Intel Foundry, Synovus, Futurum Group, Act, Google, Microsoft, Apple, New York Times, Commerce Department, Sen, Marvell, Warner Locations: Taiwan, Washington

☆ Here are Big Tech's winners and losers from Donald Trump's win, according to the market
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Donald Trump's election win boosted tech stocks the next day, with Tesla leading the gains. Trump's past policies reshaped tech; his second term may impact Big Tech similarly. So what has the stock market told us so far about which Big Tech companies might be winners and losers during a Trump second term? Google gainsGoogle is somewhat surprising as a big stock gainer in the past two trading days. 'Shock absorber for the consumer'Slowinski highlighted other Big Tech stocks this week in his note to investors.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Tesla, —, Donald Trump, Trump, Tim Cook, Ben Thompson, TSMC, Elon Musk, Elon, Ana Altchek, Stefan Slowinski, Mark Zuckerberg, Slowinski, Thompson, Slowinsky Organizations: Big Tech, Service, Trump, Apple, Google, Alphabet, BNP, Trump's, Democratic, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft Locations: China, Taiwan, Stratechery, North America

☆ Anthropic is gaining on OpenAI in this key area of the AI market
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Anthropic has been gaining on arch rival OpenAI in recent months, according to data from a popular developer tool offered by startup Vercel. In the week of August 18, the OpenAI code library was downloaded almost 229,000 times by developers. Data from Vercel's AI SDK toolkit VercelA top executive at Vercel attributed the recent adoption trends partly to a new AI model that Anthropic released in the summer. That's because many AI model providers have adopted OpenAI's API specification as a de facto standard. AdvertisementAn OpenAI spokesperson said usage of the startup's API has doubled since it released its GPT-4o mini AI model in July.

Persons: Anthropic, OpenAI, Sweta Patel, Claude, Jared Palmer, Sonnet, There's, Dianne Penn, Penn, DoorDash Organizations: Vercel

While many Silicon Valley VCs and founders aren't huge Trump fans, their industry thrives when startups are getting acquired or going public quickly. The Biden administration clamped down heavily on tech M&A, so Trump's win could be a financial boon for the sector. Stephen Hays, the founder and managing partner of What if Ventures, said money is already moving again. AdvertisementBig Tech returns to the tableAs president, Trump could roll back some of the antitrust policies that his opponent would have continued. "People are keeping to themselves and just getting on with their business," said Conrad Burke, a managing partner of MetaVC Partners.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Reid Hoffman, Laurene Powell, Vinod Khosla, Harris, Donald Trump's, aren't, Biden, There's, Jordan Nof, Stephen Hays, Trump, Elon, Lina Khan's, Lulu Cheng Meservey, Y, Lina Khan, Kevin Dietsch, Brandon Brooks, — Trump's, JD Vance —, Chris Farmer, Mason Angel, Louis Lehlot, Lardner, Michael Greeley, Crypto, hasn't, Gary Gensler, Bitcoin, Brian Garrett, Garrett, Jenny Fielding's, Fielding, Conrad Burke, Leslie Feinzaig, bundlers, Kamala, I've Organizations: Democrat, White House, Trump, Tusk Venture Partners, Ventures, Tech, Federal Trade, Investors, Foley, Big Tech, Markets, Flare Capital, Biden, SEC, Crosscut Ventures, Google, Microsoft, MetaVC Partners Locations: Europe

Companies beat expectations, with some boosted by large cloud growth. AdvertisementThe tech giants Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft reported earnings this week, and investors were laser-focused on the results of AI investments. Cloud is kingMicrosoft, Alphabet, and Amazon saw significant growth in their cloud businesses, fueled by increased demand. Jeremy Goldman, EMARKETER's senior director of briefings, told BI that Microsoft's cloud business had decelerated from the "breakneck pace" of previous quarters. Related storiesWhile Google reported stronger cloud growth, Microsoft still leads it in cloud market share, and both are behind Amazon Web Services.

Persons: —, Kate Leaman, Jeremy Goldman, EMARKETER's, Amy Hood, Dan Romanoff, Andy Jassy, Tracy Woo, Forrester, AWS's, Jassy, Rufus, Sundar Pichai, Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg, Hood, Michael Field, Jaejune Kim, Lisa Su, we've Organizations: Apple, Companies, Service, Microsoft, Amazon, Morningstar, Google, Amazon Web, Amazon Web Services, Investment, Big Tech, Bank of America Securities, Meta, Nvidia, SK Hynix, Samsung, AMD, Services

☆ Tesla's Cybertruck is outselling almost every other EV in the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-23 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

But recent sales data from the auto-industry tracker Cox Automotive is worth examining ahead of Tesla's results on Wednesday. Tesla sold almost 17,000 Cybertrucks in the third quarter, Cox estimated, making it the third-most-popular EV in the US during the period. That's more than Ford's F-150 Lightning, Rivian's R1T, and Chevy's Silverado EV, Cox data shows. General Motors reported surprisingly solid results earlier this week and highlighted strong EV sales. Related storiesSome of this recent EV strength has been driven by lease incentives, which are available in the US to more buyers.

Persons: Elon, Tesla, Cox, Rivian's R1T, It's, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bernstein Organizations: Cox, Tesla, Silverado, DeLorean, Motors, EV, UBS

☆ Apple's Made-in-the-USA chips signal a turnaround for the US' big semiconductor bet
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementThe US's efforts to produce more semiconductor chips have encountered some challenges over the past few years, but the tide may be turning. In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS Act into law, which included $39 billion in manufacturing incentives for chip production in the US. Last year, TSMC announced that the official opening of its first Arizona fab would be pushed back from 2024 to 2025. TSMC's production of Apple chips is good news for Americans hoping to land jobs in the industry, Patel said. He said he thinks TSMC's production of Apple chips would bode well for the future.

Persons: TSMC, Biden, It's, —, Tim Culpan, Culpan, Tim Cook, Dylan Patel, SemiAnalysis, Mark Muro, Apple, Harris, Joe Biden, Arizona hasn't, it's, Morris Chang, Patel, Muro, bode Organizations: Apple, Service, Brookings Institution, Biden, Management, Workers, Brookings Institute, Semiconductor Industry Association Locations: Arizona, Taiwan, Phoenix

☆ OpenAI's AI-adjusted earnings numbers have echoes of Groupon and WeWork
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Is it OK for an AI company to exclude the cost of training its AI models when it reports earnings? Related storiesFor an AI company like OpenAI, training models will be an ongoing process. The world is constantly evolving, and new data is being generated, which will have to be incorporated into AI models' understanding. Let's call it "AI adjusted earnings" for an AI company. They are a private company," McKenna said.

Persons: we've, Francine McKenna, McKenna, OpenAI, It's, Groupon, WeWork Organizations: Google, Facebook, MarketWatch, Revenue, Big Tech, KPMG Consulting, SAP, Oracle, Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC Locations: It's

☆ Who will win the robotaxi race? Tesla, Waymo, or Uber?
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Today, consumers open the Uber app because they know there will likely be loads of cars nearby to pick them up. And drivers come to Uber because they know there will be many riders waiting and willing to pay. Uber doesn't buy and maintain cars. AdvertisementA robotaxi futureWhat happens if Tesla and Waymo driverless cars replace human drivers? It has already struck deals with Waymo and Cruise, another AV company, to have their driverless cars be part of the existing Uber rideshare network.

Persons: Tesla's, Elon, Uber, Uber doesn't, Tesla, Bernstein, Lyft, Waymo, Ben Thompson, Thompson, Dara Khosrowshahi Organizations: Google, Tech, Waymo

☆ The battle of the face computers is on
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Meta debuted its Orion augmented reality glasses last week without a consumer release date. AR glasses are a substantial step toward a future that ditches the handheld smartphone for face computers. AdvertisementThe battle of the face computers is here, and Meta just launched a highly compelling salvo. Last Wednesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the company's latest innovation, Orion — augmented reality eyewear that weighs about 3.5 ounces. Snap's Spectacles are augmented reality glasses that run on the company's in-house OS.

Persons: Meta, —, Mark Zuckerberg, Orion —, BI's Peter Kafka, Gene Munster, Apple, Greg Peters, we're, it's, " Peters, There's, Alistair Barr, Tim Cook, Cook, It's, Munster, Andrej Sokolow, BI's Jordan Hart, Justin Post, Andrew Bosworth, Jacob Bourne, Emarketer, Axel Springer, Bosworth, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Zuckerberg, Spokespeople Organizations: Orion, Apple, Service, Meta, Deepwater Asset Management, Bloomberg, Vision Pro, Netflix, Vision, Getty, Munster, CNBC, BI Locations: Cupertino

☆ Is Mark Zuckerberg still obsessed with efficiency? Check Meta's WiFi password.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-27 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The social-media giant held its big Meta Connect conference in Silicon Valley this week. Mark Zuckerberg is spending heavily on AI and AR technology. That effort continued into 2024 as the Meta CEO whittled down VP ranks and took more cost-cutting steps. Tech reporter Pranav Dixit attended and noticed that the WiFi password for the event was "effici3ncy." A post on Threads Pranav Dixit/ThreadsDixit posted about this on Threads and Zuckerberg liked the post.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, —, Mark Zuckerberg's, bender, Zuckerberg, Pranav Dixit, Dixit, Mark Zuckerberg Pranav Dixit, Meta, didn't Organizations: Meta, Service, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Meta Connect, Silicon Valley . Tech Locations: Silicon, Silicon Valley

☆ Intel and Qualcomm: This 'odd' couple won't solve America's chipmaking woes
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-21 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Or maybe South Korea, where Samsung has built an impressive so-called foundry business making semiconductors for other companies. AdvertisementThe US company took a major step recently when it separated its Foundry business from its chip-design business. Intel's Foundry business won't really be able to challenge TSMC until it gets several big customers. Intel's Foundry business just needs way more of these customers. How would Intel's Foundry business perform as a separate company, split off from the design parts?

Persons: —, Jerry Sanders, Ian King, TSMC, Globalfoundries, it's, AMD's Sanders, Apple, Ian King's, Raimondo, Gina Raimondo, Bernstein, Stacy Rasgon, that's, Rasgon Organizations: Service, Business, Intel, Samsung, Nvidia, Qualcomm, AMD, Apple, Reuters, TSMC, Foundry, Intel's Foundry, CNBC, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Locations: Taiwan, South Korea, China, Europe

☆ Amazon's RTO commandment and the office work shibboleth
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In those ancient times, tech companies embraced remote work as an unstoppable innovation revolution. Remote work benefitsRemote work supports a more diverse employee base by helping companies hire more easily in different locations. In December, she described a study that found collaborating in person produced more breakthroughs than remote work. The truth is that in-office work is a shibboleth. But Benioff is at least admitting the reality of how employees work in the modern world.

Persons: —, Marc Benioff, they're, Andy Jassy, Insider's Aki Ito, Jassy, Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, Solomon, James Hamilton, he'd, I've, it's Organizations: Service, Amazon, Business, Google, Jassy's AWS, BI, Employees, Hamptons, Bloomberg, Fortune, Starbucks, Staff Locations: Seattle, Hawaii

☆ I watch the NFL and other live sports for free with this easy, old-school hack. You can, too.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

NFL season opened with a stealth bomber fly-over in Kansas City last week. Digital TV antennas offer a cost-effective way to watch live sports without pricey subscriptions. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe NFL season opened last week with a stealth bomber soaring over the Kansas City Chiefs' stadium while Coco Jones belted out The Star-Spangled Banner.

Persons: CivicScience, —, Coco Jones Organizations: Service, Kansas City Chiefs, TiVo, Business Locations: Kansas City

☆ Does my old iPhone still work with Apple's new iOS 18? The answer is all about AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Apple usually drops software support for some old iPhone models every year. The company unveiled its new iOS 18 operating system along with new iPhone 16 models on Monday. AdvertisementWhen Apple launched the iPhone XR, no one had heard of COVID-19 and most of us only wore masks at Halloween. And on Monday, Apple committed to supporting this device for another year, so it will work for at least 7 years. Apple usually makes some old iPhone models obsolete every year by dropping software support.

Persons: —, Apple Organizations: Apple, Service, Business

☆ Google is losing its status as a verb
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Merriam-Webster dictionary added "Google" as a verb to mean searching for something on the web. "So long Google, the verb," wrote Mark Shmulik and fellow internet analysts at Bernstein Research in a note to investors. Related stories"Gen Zers, and especially Gen Alpha, barely use Google as a verb anymore, they simply say to 'search it'," Shumlik and colleagues explained. It might be concerned because when you're no longer a verb, that suggests you're no longer ubiquitous. So maybe Google is happy it's no longer a verb with the young folk?

Persons: —, Merriam, Mark Shmulik, Zers, Alpha, Shumlik, Gen Z, Shmulik Organizations: Service, Google, Webster, Business, Bernstein Research

☆ Tesla's AI supercomputer has a Silicon Valley town rushing to meet surging electricity demand
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

One of these huge new AI data centers is being built at a Tesla office in the Silicon Valley town of Palo Alto. Related storiesDuring a presentation about Tesla's Dojo AI supercomputer, engineer Bill Chang said the company's testing used so much power that it overwhelmed a nearby Palo Alto substation. A slide from a Palo Alto city presentation The City of Palo AltoThe substation upgrade is being done at unprecedented speed. It doesn't help that on July 1 Palo Alto increased electric bills by 9%, well ahead of inflation. She also stressed that Palo Alto utility rates were not increased to pay for this substation upgrade.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Alistair Barr, Tesla, Bill Chang, Palo Alto Alistair Barr Organizations: Service, Business, Workers, Palo Alto, Palo, Hanover Substation Locations: Silicon, Palo Alto, CPAU, Palo, Hanover

☆ The 'crazy' fix for Google's monopoly that investors are whispering about
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The idea is that the US would require Google to make its Search index publicly available for anyone to use. AdvertisementBots and indexesA Search index is created by a bot crawling the web and collecting keywords and other information from sites. Related storiesGoogle's Search index is the biggest in the world. The Search index as part of the public commonsWouldn't this be taking something that belongs to Google, though? In the same way Bing powers DuckDuckGo, Google's open index could power other rival search engines that could offer different approaches to Google's search engine.

Persons: —, It's, wouldn't, it's, Amit Mehta's, Bing, DuckDuckGo Organizations: Service, Justice Department, Business, Google, Rivals, Mobile Virtual Network, Verizon, DOJ

☆ AI was supposed to revolutionize customer service. Morgan Stanley's interns aren't buying it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

AI has been touted as a great way to make customer service call centers more efficient. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . One positive answer is supposed to come from customer service call centers, where AI has the potential to either replace or supplement legions of human employees handling questions from confused and sometimes grumpy consumers.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, —, Satya Nadella Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Business

☆ The GenAI jitters: Is there enough demand for $1 trillion in AI spending?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Alistair Barr | Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementBig tech companies are forecast to spend $1 trillion on data centers, real estate, chips and other gear to build AI models, tools and products. AdvertisementSome big tech companies have already whittled away a large chunk of their cash reserves chasing this AI trend. For more than a year, the assumption has been that generative AI will stoke a massive wave of new demand. What if that demand turns out to be weaker than expected? A major piece of evidence he shared was about demand for Microsoft's 365 Copilot service.

Persons: —, Ashley Stewart, I've, Ashley, Keith Weiss, Morgan Stanley, Weiss, Andy Jassy, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, BI's Ashley Stewart, Nadella Organizations: Service, Business, pharma, Big, Microsoft, stoke, Amazon, Google, CIO

☆ How startups can get in top shape for an IPO, according to Silicon Valley lawyer Louis Lehot
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Louis Lehot, a Silicon Valley law-firm partner, specializes in taking companies from startup to IPO. The IPO market is expected to pick up later this year, so Business Insider emailed Silicon Valley lawyer Louis Lehot, a partner at Foley & Lardner, for advice on how startups should prepare for life as public companies. Are public market investors generally keen to invest in IPOs, or are they focused elsewhere? Public market investors are selective, focusing on established profitability and sustainable growth over speculative, high-growth stories. What are the key process changes companies need to make ahead of an IPO?

Persons: Louis Lehot, Lehot, —, Lardner, Collison Organizations: Service, Foley, Healthcare, Biotech, Green Energy, Enterprise, Street, Investor

☆ We tested the new Toyota Land Cruiser against its legendary predecessor. It lives up to the hype, even without a third row.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Toyota launched new Land Cruiser in the US, reviving the iconic SUV . The original Land Cruiser, known for its durability, debuted in the 1950s. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe original Land Cruiser launched in the 1950s and rightly earned a reputation as an unbreakable beast of a car. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: — Organizations: Toyota, Cruiser, Service, Cruisers, Business Locations: United

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