H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (1 February 2019) – What Will Software Look Like Once Anyone Can Create It? + Almost 30% of Go-Jek, 5% of Grab e-hails in Indonesia are fraudulent

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (1 February 2019) – What Will Software Look Like Once Anyone Can Create It? + Almost 30% of Go-Jek, 5% of Grab e-hails in Indonesia are fraudulent

Companies

• Fanuc posts 42% profit drop on China machinery orders plunge; October-December results suffer as trade war rages on (Nikkei)
• Uniqlo rival Zozo sees 1st profit decline as tailor-fit strategy flops; CEO Maezawa’s ambitions fall to earth as shoppers snub polka-dot measurement suit (Nikkei); Zozo’s ceo is apologizing for the failure of its much-hyped zozosuit fitting system (qz)
• Japan’s Nintendo, Line developing ‘Dr. Mario World’ mobile game (Reuters)
• ASE Technology is gearing up for the arrival of 5G. The synergy combining the group’s IC ATM expertise with Universal Scientific Industrial Shanghai’s (USI) specialization in module-level manufacturing services will help grow its business in the 5G field (Digitimes)
• Innodisk has launched comprehensive M.2 solutions for embedded expansions; The M.2 form factor is instrumental for the next generation IoT applications as more and more platforms are adopting it as their main port (PRNW)
• Mindtree not in talks to buy out biggest shareholder VG Siddhartha: CEO (Forbes)
• InfoEdge Infuses 28 Crore into NoPaperForms (SI)
• Shorts circle NextDC; NextDC’s chief executive Craig Scroggie’s (now private) Instagram account began doing the rounds in the market: Scroggie hopping on and off private jets; in flashy cars; on a golf course. (AFR)

BATTSS – Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, TSMC, Samsung, Softbank

• How WeChat is changing China’s travel bug (SCMP)

FAANNMG – Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Nvidia, Netflix, Microsoft, Google

• With almost a billion users, 90+% loyalty rate, 95% satisfaction, 120 million paid subscriptions and 75 million new users/yr, the analysis of Apple as a services company is becoming interesting. (Asymco)
• Amazon Mystery: Where Did the Growth Go? Higher margins are great, but it’s not exactly what investors have been paying for. (Bloomberg)
• Microsoft Forfeits Most-Valuable Crown to Amazon (Bloomberg)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China’s P2P lending sector a ‘disaster zone’ of fraud: government official (Technode)
• Korea puts forth new ways to support new media startups (Investor)
• South Korea pins hopes on start-ups to power economic growth; Tough regulation and low levels of investment hold back emergence of new technologies (FT)
• Almost 30% of Go-Jek, 5% of Grab e-hails in Indonesia are fraudulent, study claims (Reddit)
• Explainer: What are India’s new foreign direct investment rules for e-commerce? (Reuters); Amazon removes numerous products from India site as new e-commerce rules bite (Reuters)
• Banking royal commission: Regtech software a pathway for post-Hayne compliance (AFR)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Venmo is finally venmo-ing big revenue to its less cool parent (qz)
• ‘Mind reading’ technology poses ethical questions; Advertisers or employers could exploit individuals’ neural signals for own gain (FT)
• What Happens When a Startup Goes Bust (Fortune)
• Executive at Wirecard suspected of using forged contracts; Internal presentation pointed to possible ‘falsification of accounts’ (FT)
• What Will Software Look Like Once Anyone Can Create It? (HBR)

Life

• Value investing is long on virtue but has been short on reward; Value indices can seem like dumping grounds for problem industries (Economist)