H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (14 February 2019) – How a Sydney startup is using artificial intelligence to fix sewerage pipes + Bill and Melinda Gates 2019 Annual Letter

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (14 February 2019) – How a Sydney startup is using artificial intelligence to fix sewerage pipes + Bill and Melinda Gates 2019 Annual Letter

Companies

• Tencent-backed Douyu files for $500m IPO in New York (KRA)
• Recruit Holdings Q3 revenue rises 6%, HR technology boosts growth (SI)
• PKSHA makes Sapeet of 3D algorithm development a subsidiary (TC)
• E . Guardian started startup support project (TC)

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

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

• Apple Doesn’t Need to Be Netflix to Succeed at Video; The iPhone maker can have a robust business without revolutionizing entertainment. (Bloomberg)
• Apple aims for April launch of TV service with CBS, Viacom and Starz (Reuters); Apple Invites Hollywood Stars to Video Service Launch (Bloomberg)
• The Cost of Apple News (Stratechery)
• Apple’s Autonomous Cars Need Much More Human Help Than Its Rivals (Bloomberg)
• Jeff Bezos and Amazon are taking over suburbia (qz)
• Amazon: Eeros and villains; Planned purchase of WiFi start-up will only add to scrutiny over tech data collection (FT)
• Google to Spend $13 Billion on Data Centers, Offices Across U.S. (Bloomberg)
• Waymo builds big lead in self-driving car testing; Data show widening gap in autonomous vehicle race with Uber going into reverse in 2018 (FT); Apple ramps up self-driving program as Waymo says its tech improves (Reuters)
• Nvidia Stock’s Future Is in Artificial Intelligence, Says Analyst (Barron’s)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• To subsidize drivers, Didi racks up annual loss of US$1.6 billion (KRA)
• China’s gig economy losing ability to absorb laid-off factory workers (TIA)
• China’s Stock Traders Are Snapping Up Everything 5G (Bloomberg)
• Man vs machine: China’s workforce starting to feel the strain from threat of robotic automation (SCMP)
• Reading between the lines of China’s secondhand e-commerce market (Technode)
• What does Tiktok’s rise mean for Facebook and Snapchat? (Technode)
• Demand for memory chips in Asia might be picking up soon, analysts say (CNBC)
• ALTBalaji subscriptions reflect rising popularity of OTT streaming in India; Even as the telecom regulator considers fresh regulations of the OTT sector, mobile content streaming is surging in the country (Forbes)
• Singapore is Asia’s most ready nation for autonomous vehicle adoption (Edge)
• How a Sydney startup is using artificial intelligence to fix sewerage pipes (Age)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Yelp barely lives up to revised promises, but it just promises more (MW); Yelp Users Bemoan Disappearing Recommendations, Adding to Company Troubles (Bloomberg)
• Driverless Car Data Shows Robots Are Improving But Still Need Human Hands; California records show safety operators in GM and Waymo test vehicles are taking the wheel less (WSJ)
• Xnor’s saltine-sized, solar-powered AI hardware redefines the edge (TC)
• Bill Gates-backed Vicarious Surgical adds a virtual reality twist to robots in the operating room (TC)
• First Robo-Trucking Unicorn? TuSimple Delivers $95 Million Funding Round (Forbes)
• AI will soon decide what we eat (TNW)
• EA Paid Twitch Gamers to Battle Back Against Fortnite (Barron’s)
• Beware Investing in Uber and Other ‘Unicorns’ Going Public, Goldman Sachs Says (Barron’s)
• TripAdvisor Earnings Send Stock Down as Analysts Cite Concerns (Barron’s)
• Startup Accelerates AI at the Sensor; claims that its novel techniques of processing neural-networking tasks at the level of sensor signals will undercut rivals in power and cost (EE Times)
• Shipments of 3D sensing-enabled Android smartphones to boom, says Digitimes Research (Digitimes)

Life

• Bill and Melinda Gates 2019 Annual Letter: Textbooks are becoming obsolete. Software is finally changing how students learn. (Gatesnotes)