TechCheck

What happened to the Chinese stock market? Alibaba stock price is in a tailspin. The problems are fundamental. The big question ? is this an Alibaba problem, or is it a broader proxy for the way China is uninvestable right now?

Adam Neumann -- the founder of WeWork ousted from the company in 2019 -- is now trying to buy it back out of bankruptcy. Just how real is that? 

Chips? versus the rest of the market. Semiconductors are THE trade of 2024 (Nvidia up 42% YTD btw)? So why aren?t they beating the expectations? Today, truth and fundamentals within tech.

A big week of tech earnings, and all in all, business remains good. Profitability is increasing. And these giant tech companies ? META front and center today, they?re returning a lot of cash to shareholders. Could this be a sign of more to come?

It?s a two-track IPO market. Why the weakest are going public as the strong stay private.

Cracks in Google?s dominance? that?s been the fear since ChatGPT stole Google?s mainstream AI moment, and last night, the search giant gave investors reason to worry. 

The six biggest tech stocks are set to grow earnings 54% when they report numbers ? Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Nvidia, Meta, Amazon. The rest of the S&P 500? The other 494 mature, solid U.S. companies? Their blended average growth is looking like NEGATIVE 10.4%. Today ? that divide, this week.

Big tech earnings this week ? we?ll tackle Alphabet. The big focus for 2024: can it prove itself as an AI leader? or is its golden goose, advertising, at risk of disruption? Today: looking for the next great alternative.

Two tech titans are now duking it out in the headset wars. Apple's Vision Pro and Meta's Quests offer different price points, different specs, and most importantly, different visions of the future of virtual reality. And both have big hurdles to clear. This week on TechCheck, why the headset battle is Apple's to lose.

Elon Musk. Bret Taylor. Sam Altman? The biggest names in tech, in Silicon Valley, are looking to raise huge sums of money, billions of dollars, to fund the next era of startups.

The brutal year for tech workers continues? More layoffs, this time at Microsoft?s gaming unit. But what about startups? Will they face a mass extinction event this year

Blockbuster earnings for Netflix?  Today, what can the numbers tell us about the tech earnings yet to come.

More layoffs at Google ? this time within X, its innovation lab responsible for moonshot projects. Today ? what?s inside Google?s moonshot factory; what might actually become a business; and why it?s important for Google and Wall Street.

One veteran Wall Street strategist is making a BULLISH comparison to 1999 ? saying the market could be set for a tech-led party. Why there?s still room to run for some key valuation metrics if you?re making a direct contrast from to the bubble of the late 90s to today.

One week on from Bitcoin's momentous Wall Street moment, the results are underwhelming. The price of #Bitcoin has fallen to its lowest level since the SEC approval, underperformed gold, bonds and global equities this year, and inflows have also fallen short of estimates. Plus, semiconductor stocks help lead the Nasdaq 100 to an all-time high. But amid this tech optimism, tech firms are making cuts as they prioritize the shift to AI.

Bitcoin has officially arrived on Wall Street. The SEC?s approval of 11 spot bitcoin ETFs now gives the cryptocurrency legitimacy, accessibility, mainstream reach and Wall Street acceptance. But Bitcoin was supposed to be so much more ? a revolution, bypassing the traditional financial system with a democratic, decentralized, peer-to-peer electronic cash system for unbanked populations. But Wall Street did what Wall Street does best. This week on TechCheck, how Bitcoin lost by winning.

More layoffs at Google. CEO Sundar Pichai warns that more cuts are coming as the company gears up for its AI goals? Plus why some private companies are acting like public companies.

One of the most anticipated IPOs of the year risks not happening at all? Plus what is an AI phone?

After a stumble to start 2024, there?s been a rotation to quality. The biggest tech stocks have continued their dominance? So what are the major roadblocks to that story this year? It comes back to Europe.

Can Nvidia run it back? The stock market darling is soaring this week after it already ran up 240% last year. Today ? the debate around valuation, hype and reality.

Apple?s loudest critics have said it?s playing catch up in the AI race, blaming its underperformance last year, at least compared to its megacap tech peers, on its lack of a clear AI strategy. But long-term, Apple could be the dark horse to watch for, especially in the next technological shift that experts say is coming to AI. Its vertical integration of hardware, software, silicon and services gives it an edge. This week on TechCheck, why Apple could be playing the long game better than anyone else.

The tech layoffs just keep coming. The latest: Google cutting hundreds of jobs in its engineering, product and hardware divisions. How the future of Google is making itself felt within Google.

What is the reality in the software sector? We're seeing a wave of layoffs to start 2024 at Unity and Twitch, along with some CEO changes at Twilio and Match. Is the sector recovering? or is this new lower growth era just the new normal?

Microsoft's multi-billion dollar investment into OpenAI and its all-out embrace of ChatGPT could now be the subject of a merger investigation in the EU. Why, and why Europe?

Apple stock is off to its worst start of the year since 1982? But could the iPhone maker be an AI darkhorse in 2024.

The future of Google Search is one of the biggest questions in tech since ChatGPT exploded onto the scene? Does Google continue to dominate, or will it be disrupted by a generative AI upstart? This week Perplexity raised $74 million from the likes of Nvidia and Jeff Bezos to try to do just that.

The end of the cookie. Google starts to disable one of the most effective but infamous ad tracking devices for its chrome browser today ? a major change. What it signals about the digital ad landscape and big tech in 2024.

Data shows new businesses are being created at a faster pace outside Silicon Valley? in places like Atlanta and New Orleans. But was that actually a bubble phenomenon, and is AI now bringing the action back to San Francisco and Northern California.

Barclays warns of weakening demand for iPhones

Beware the Blockbuster IPO?. 2023?s big listings highlighted some issues within capital markets? and why retail investors should proceed with caution.

Apple?s China problem & opportunity? how its longtime ticket to success has become a liability.

How the Chinese shopping app Temu?s rapid growth here in the U.S. could crack Amazon?s dominance.

A trio of topics for today?s podcast - Apple has now been banned from importing and selling the latest line of Apple Watches in the U.S., stemming from a patent dispute over the blood-oxygen sensors in the devices. Intel is getting several billion dollars to build a new chip factory. And OpenAI is reportedly in talks to raise a fresh round of funding at a valuation of $100 billion or more. 

CNBC?s Kate Rooney on payments trends for 2024

OpenAI competitor Anthropic is looking to raise another monster funding round ? this time led by Menlo Ventures. Why it?s still open season. 

Alibaba reshuffles its executive team as rivals gain steam

Today -- Google?s new $700M antitrust settlement & changes coming to the Android ecosystem

Major news today out of Silicon Valley ? Adobe terminating its $20 billion merger with the design software maker Figma. Today: rethinking the environment for major deals in tech.

The stigma is real. Blue bubbles for iPhone users, green bubbles for those shut out of Apple's walled garden. iMessage has been a way of locking users into the Apple ecosystem for more than a decade. But the exclusionary nature of the battle has since come under fire, and Apple has begun to bend to the green bubble evangelists ? just one in a growing number of concessions it's making to appease regulators.

AI warnings? this time the risk to U.S. financial stability. The downside of relying on just one model, and one startup that is building on several models.

A dovish fed? a soft landing? tech stocks are off to the races. But wrapped up in one earnings report last night ? everything tech investors fear in 2024. What Adobe is warning.

A surprising stock move flying under the radar this year: Broadcom is now one of the biggest tech companies in the world. Today, the story behind the CEO, the strategy and the ?Berkshire Hathaway of tech.?

A big blow to Google and the power of its app store. A federal jury found that Google turned its "Play Store" and billing service into illegal monopolies. What comes next for Google?. and Apple.

Green vs blue text bubble. You know it. You probably hate it. How one startup solved the iMessage Android problem? and found itself in the middle of the fight between two tech behemoths.

Microsoft?s OpenAI deal is coming under regulatory scrutiny -- why an innovative partnership may now get a second look.

Content overload, rising prices, and commercials. If you thought we?ve moved on from the cable bundle, think again. Streaming platforms are now recreating the very thing they tried to replace. This week on Tech Check, how media companies, tech giants, retailers, and even longtime rivals are teaming up to bring back the dreaded bundle.  

Finally? the stock reacts. A delayed market reaction to Google?s launch of their AI model "Gemini." Today, the AI halo effect takes effect. Plus ? Taylor Swift, TIME person of the year.

Google shooting for the stars today, announcing new details around its long-awaited generative AI system "Gemini.? Sundar Pichai and hitting back in the AI arms race.

Shein has taken America by storm. Soon, it could take Wall Street too, as it files for an IPO. Its presence in the U.S. has exploded, as it partners with some of the hottest American retailers and tries to put labor worries to rest. This week on Tech Check, we dig into Shein?s secret sauce, as it eyes Wall Street next. 

More developments unfolding overnight over OpenAI?s board, with Sam Altman officially back as CEO and Microsoft now securing a non-voting board seat. We spoke to General Mike Rogers, the former NSA director, on the AI debate around pursuing effective altruism or effective acceleration, his thoughts on the 2024 election, and more.