TechCheck

As more grocers begin looking to build their own delivery networks, what does that mean for Instacart’s competitive moat? The world’s largest grocery delivery platform opened trading today on the Nasdaq at $42 a share, and Instacart CEO Fidji Simo discussed why grocers choose to stay on their marketplace, and how she expects the company to continue to grow after seeing the benefits of grocery deli...

With Arm’s successful listing and Instacart’s debut on deck, the blockbuster IPO is back. But retail investors might want to proceed with caution before buying in. Those that jumped into some of the largest recent IPOs on the first day of trading have all lost money, according to our analysis, and would’ve seen dramatically better returns just buying the S&P. And even the connected, institutional...

Instacart today raised the price range for its upcoming IPO after Arm’s successful debut yesterday, boosting the valuation to around $10 billion dollars. But that might be little comfort to the investors who bought in at Instacart’s peak valuation of $39 billion two years ago. We break down the winners and losers of the debut, including the VCs who got in early and the big institutional investors...

Softbank-backed chip designer Arm's successful listing today could open the IPO floodgates, according to Lux Capital’s Shahin Farshchi. He says the offering could generate more interest in new chip players, drive capital into private semi names, and encourage private companies to consider public market financing. The IPO might also be a much-needed win Masayoshi Son. Even though the Softbank found...

The DOJ's landmark tech monopoly trial against Alphabet kicked off today – with the government grilling its first witness Google Chief Economist Hal Varian about his advice to the company on antitrust issues. It’s reminiscent of the DOJ’s big tech trial of 20 years ago against Microsoft, when Bill Gates was the big personality. This time around though, all eyes are on Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai --...

Instacart's new valuation of up to $9.3 billion is a massive down round from the $39 billion of a few years ago. Bill Gurley, a VC and early Uber investor, says that’s a healthy reset: "I've lived through 3 different bubbles and bursts in this industry and unfortunately it's highly cyclical. It tends to go up slowly and crash immediately." He also talked startups in the IPO pipeline, whether there...

We all lived through the SPAC boom of 2021 – when the blank check mergers accounted for 61% of all U.S. public listings that year… and the subsequent bust, with at least a dozen going bankrupt since then and more than a hundred now running low on cash. But even though many stopped paying attention to them, SPACs continued to live on. Now, two years later, there are signs of a resurgence, and some...

Calculating who is set to lose the most in the showdown between Disney and Charter is complex. Disney could lose contract fees for Charter’s 15 million subscribers, but the dispute is also driving a huge jump in Hulu + Live TV subs. Disney owns 67% of Hulu, but will also soon renegotiate ownership with Comcast. Plus, AI is increasingly playing a role in sports, most recently in this year’s U.S. Op...

China is an ever-present risk for Apple, but this week it's front and center on reports that China, which makes up 19% of Apple's revenue, is restricting the use of iPhones at government agencies, and the resurgence of Huawei - its new Mate 60 Pro smartphone is seen as the first significant threat to Apple's dominance in the market in years. Widely-followed hedge fund manager Dan Niles joins to di...

A new report today forecasts a 5% increase in U.S. ad revenue this year, but says the TV ad sector is experiencing an "existential crisis" amid an ongoing showdown between Charter and Disney that's caused sports programming blackouts for millions just as the NFL season kicks off. Plus, a top Apple analyst breaks down why shares are down today, citing two big decisions against the company - the EU...

The tech moguls and investors at this year's Burning Man also had to endure torrential downpours that caused campsite flooding and foot-deep mud. But one venture capitalist said that after getting over the mini panic attack of being stuck, most people embraced it. Plus, Disney has been butting heads with cable giant Charter over contract fees that has left millions without access to U.S. Open, col...

SPACs are back and volatile as ever. But the class of 2021 has settled somewhat, and that's where some investors are seeing opportunity. Proem Asset Management CIO Imran Khan, who also led Alibaba and Snap’s IPOs, says he's picked up shares in the banking app Dave, OpenDoor, and super app Grab because of what he calls arbitrage between private and public market valuations.  Hosted by Simplecast, a...

After all that activist pressure, Marc Benioff’s M&A spending spree may seem like it’s ended – but in the past year, Salesforce has only been ramping up investments in AI startups. It’s funded at least seven, including leading a $200 million funding round for startup Hugging Face. Tonight’s numbers are set to show investors whether Benioff has more room to run, or will instead bring back more scru...

Nvidia’s stock rise this year has been nothing short of meteoric. The chipmaker is at the heart of the AI boom as the supplier of chips that are required to build and run the likes of ChatGPT and other generative AI technologies. On this week of TechCheck Weekly, Deirdre Bosa digs into how Nvidia dominates this technological sea change and who is trying to challenge the chipmaker’s rule. Hosted by...

Nvidia’s blowout earnings is flexing its dominance in AI. Revenue at its data center segment, which includes AI chips like the A100 and H100, jumped 141% just from the last quarter. But are the cracks in that already beginning to show? Competition is beginning to emerge – on a software level from startups working on tools to reduce the cost of training and running machine learning models, and on t...

Can Nvidia do it again? Its blowout last quarter fueled a 220% rally this year and sent the market into an AI craze. Amid sky-high expectations, it might be the most crucial print of the season. The chipmaker has been the biggest contributor to the Nasdaq 100’s rally this year, and the options market is now bracing for a 10% move. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for i...

Softbank-owned Arm reported declining revenues and narrowing profits in its IPO filing last night, bringing into question whether Softbank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son will be able to pull off what’s expected to be the biggest U.S. debut this year. Son has said he wants Softbank to lead the AI revolution, with Arm as its biggest driver. But just how central is the chip designer to the revolution...

Softbank’s chip designer Arm is expected to file its F-1 for IPO today, revealing key finances and operations. But whether investors will buy its $64 billion pre-IPO valuation hinges on the filing showing that chip designer is truly at the center of the AI boom, as Softbank founder Masa Son claims, and not actually more like AI-adjacent. The listing would be the biggest in the U.S. in almost two y...

Instacart is reportedly planning to go public in September, and though public markets haven't been kind to gig economy companies, Instacart may be different. It has already achieved GAAP net income on its ad business, and is building up a leadership team of advertising heavyweights. Plus, Softbank’s chip designer Arm could also file its prospectus next week, in what would be 2023’s largest IPO and...

The Information's Jessica Lessin calls it the Musk Distraction Machine - cage matches and incessant memes that are designed to distract us from focusing on what's really happening at his businesses of X, Tesla, and SpaceX - and she says, don't fall for it. Plus, Microsoft is struggling hard against Google in the search engine wars, with Bing just barely gaining market share since the beginning of...

Intel is scrapping a $5.4 billion deal for the Israeli chipmaker Tower Semiconductor after failing to get regulatory approval from China, where it derives more than 25% of its revenues. The deal falling through represents a big roadblock for CEO Pat Gelsinger's plans to enter the faster-growing foundry business, which would allow it to manufacture semiconductors for other companies. But one analys...

Fund managers who leaned into the tech rally and AI hype cycle saw big payoffs, according to this quarter's 13-Fs. Tech-focused funds saw 15% gains year-to-date, about three times that of the average hedge fund. The group also added to top AI plays, including 16 million shares of Nvidia and 12 million shares of Microsoft. We also take a look at which fund managers went against the grain with some...

Shares of Opendoor plunging 30% since the company reported a steep revenue decline despite managing to turn a profit. Deirdre Bosa speaks with CEO Carrie Wheeler in her first broadcast interview since assuming the position about the quarter, the state of the iBuying business model in today’s market, and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our c...

Disney posting mixed Q3 results, as CEO Bob Iger laid out a plan to make streaming a key growth driver, including a new focus on its ad-supported tier and announcing price hikes on ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu. Plus, newly-appointed CEO of “X” Linda Yaccarino claimed today that the company is soon to be cash flow positive, creating a safe brand, seeing advertisers return and – perhaps the...

Duolingo is one of the biggest earnings movers of the day after reporting a 62% year-over-year growth in daily active users. Its CEO Luis von Ahn joined to discuss what’s driving the price action, innovations in education technology, and the company’s expansion plans. Plus, Disney is set to report third quarter results after the bell. Investors are keeping an eye on its streaming division, growth...