H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (30 March 2019) – Japan aims to produce 250,000 AI experts a year + How to Dare to Begin

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (30 March 2019) – Japan aims to produce 250,000 AI experts a year + How to Dare to Begin

Companies

• Chinese AI iFLYTEK courts New Zealand (NR)
• People.cn, the online unit of China’s influential People’s Daily, is boosting its numbers of human internet censors backed by artificial intelligence to help firms vet content on apps and adverts, capitalising on its unmatched Communist Party line (Reuters)
• Profits for Midea-backed robot maker Kuka fall 80% in 2018 (Technode)
• Robot maker Fanuc’s CEO steps back after 16 years at controls; Son of founder presided over doubling of market capitalization (Nikkei)
• Zuken Partners with Delta Sigma (TL)
• Koh Young Technology: Go to the market of brain surgery robot. Production base in Yeoju (HK)
• Foxconn earnings beat market estimates on booming 5G demand; Network and computing equipment offsets slowing iPhone sales (Nikkei)
• Getac launches a ruggedized K120-Ex Windows 10 tablet for explosive environments; New Getac rugged tablet solution drives safety and productivity in hazardous industries (ZDnet)
• GaAs foundry Win Semi expects pick-up in capacity utilization (DT)

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

• Alipay now counts more than 160,000 mini-apps, as the race between platforms intensifies (KRA)
• Alibaba has acquired Teambition, a China-based Trello and Asana rival, in its enterprise push (TC)
• Investors to Naspers: Show Us the Tencent Money (Barron’s)
• Taiwan to block Tencent and Baidu streaming sites on security risk (Nikkei)

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

• Jail time and billions in fines under fast-tracked crackdown on social media giants (Age)
• Apple, in rare reversal, pulls plug on wireless charging mat (Reuters); For the first time in years, Apple is canceling a product before its release (qz)
• Apple Has $130 Billion in the Bank, So Why Is It Being So Frugal With Streaming TV? (Barron’s)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Big investors begin to shun China’s unlisted startups; Quarterly fundraising drops by half under trade war pressures (Nikkei)
• China’s top market regulator calls for crackdown on online ad content (Reuters)
• SF Express shutters grocery stores amid slowing e-commerce growth (Technode)
• Bytedance acquires cloud-based productivity tool Mubu (Technode)
• Japan aims to produce 250,000 AI experts a year (Nikkei)
• KAKEHASHI adds high-risk drug description display and automatic posting function to electronic drug history system (TC)
• “OYO LIFE” where you can live in Tokyo without security deposit, key money, brokerage fee, from property search to contract with smartphone (TC)
• State of pay: The race to become Indonesia’s leading mobile wallet (KRA)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• The rise of the ubiquitous voice assistant (TNW)
• AI Will Permeate Our Lives Soon (EET)
• 5 European companies that are (really) advancing AI (TNW)
• ServiceNow teams with Workplace by Facebook on service chatbot (TC)
• Toast, the restaurant management platform, has raised $250M at a $2.7B valuation (TC)
• In market debut, Lyft counters Uber with ‘nice guy’ image (Reuters); Unicorns high valuations with equally big losses; Lyft is the latest star to hit the market but losses have risen to $2.3bn since 2016 (FT); I Asked Lyft’s Founders How They Plan to Turn a Profit (Bloomberg)
• Newly issued bonds in high-disruption industries have higher yields; the increase in credit risk can be largely attributed to an increase in the rate at which new and fast-growing firms displace incumbents, a phenomenon defined as ‘disruption’ (Voxeu)
• Nine Reasons Why Disney+ Will Succeed (And Why Four Criticisms are Overhyped) (Redef)
• Will Subscription Coffee Carry The Breakfast Wars? (Pymnts)
• Cashless Backlash in U.S. Fails to Dent a $95 Trillion Industry (Bloomberg)
• Elliott hikes stake in German 3D printer SLM Solutions to 29 percent (Reuters)
• Volkswagen, Siemens to collaborate on industrial cloud technology (Reuters)
• Daimler buys Torc Robotics stake for self-driving trucks (Reuters)

Life

• How to Dare to Begin (TSOL)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (29 March 2019) – AI Powers a New Innovation Machine; How Collaborative Platforms and Ecosystems Are Changing Innovation + Ask yourself these five questions to find your best self; Finding an “alter ego” for yourself is a self-development strategy that can help you navigate the struggles that life presents with more grace and more grit.

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (29 March 2019) – AI Powers a New Innovation Machine; How Collaborative Platforms and Ecosystems Are Changing Innovation + Ask yourself these five questions to find your best self; Finding an “alter ego” for yourself is a self-development strategy that can help you navigate the struggles that life presents with more grace and more grit.

Companies

• China Regulator to Set Time Limits on Hot Short-Video Apps (Bloomberg)
• The World’s Greatest Delivery Empire; In China, Meituan has reshaped city life—and heightened a rivalry with a certain competitor. (Bloomberg)
• China’s Qutoutiao Gets Alibaba Backing Amid Spending Spree (Bloomberg)
• Line plots transition from messaging into payments; Social media platform names founder Shin Jungho as co-chief executive to drive shift (FT); Line Founder Named Co-Chief Executive as Japan Goes Cashless (Bloomberg)
• Rakuten’s $24bn Lyft windfall reveals hidden ambitions; Japan’s e-commerce pioneer quietly builds portfolio of tech investments as online mall share falters (Nikkei)
• An AI translation function of 74 languages in the world is added to the tablet terminal of JapanTaxi in business tie-up with Sourcenext (TC)
• Sony Pictures Sells Stake in Crackle TV Unit to Chicken Soup for the Soul (Bloomberg)
• Google Maps apologizes for going rogue in Japan; The navigation tool has placed a school in the sea, among other things. (BT)
• Machvision approved for listing on TWSE mainboard (DT)
• Garmin Stock Is Trading at an 11-Year High and a Big Shareholder Just Made a Huge Sale (Barron’s)
• KL-based Cuscapi acquires tech firm Amplify Me for US$1.6M; Malaysian company Cuscapi Bhd’s moves will migrate its existing customers from an aging client or server platform to cloud-based technology platform (e27)
• Sova brokerage chooses Iress as provider of order management, post-trade processing software (EM)
• For Appen and Figure Eight, some of the most important assets of their business models are the enormous, disparate labor pools they tap into in order to power their services; the work often serves a dual purpose: completing the project at hand while also training algorithms to do the work in the future (TB)

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

• Baidu launches a specialized video search app (KRA)
• Alibaba accuses Meituan CEO of libel for questioning founder’s integrity; Meituan CEO Wang Xing still thinks Ma “has an integrity problem,” referring to the spinoff of Alibaba financial payment subsidiary Alipay without board approval in 2011. (TN)
• Consumer group accuses Alibaba’s Fliggy, Ctrip of price optimization; Some 88% of the Chinese consumers believe that online shopping platforms, including those for travel bookings and ride-hailing, leverage user data they collect for personalized pricing to make users pay as much as possible (TN)
• Alibaba acquires Chinese productivity app Teambition (TN)
• Taobao doubles down on used car sales with Guazi and Souche (TN)
• WeChat’s new mini-program logistics linkup raises e-commerce stakes (TN)
• Tencent leads $296 million Series D round in Chinese big data solutions provider (TN)
• Could The Worst Be Over For China’s Tencent? (Forbes)

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

• Facebook is not our friend, no matter what their adverts say; Failure to act quickly on anti-vaccine and violent content shows how little they care (FT); How Facebook grew too big to handle; The tech giant’s ‘growth team’ brought it over a billion users – but did it also sow the seeds for the company’s current troubles? (FT)
• Why Instagram’s Move Into Shopping Is Good News for Facebook Stock (Barron’s)
• Why it’s hard to escape Amazon’s long reach (Wired); Amazon TV Director: Networks Should Scare You More Than Amazon; Amazon is spending billions to find its Game of Thrones moment (Medium)
• Tech Investor Is Afraid Apple May Be Losing Its Innovation DNA (Barron’s); Beneath the glitz of Apple’s latest event, an air of quiet desperation (Age); How Apple Card works (TC); Millions Are Being Lost To Apple Pay Fraud-Will Apple Card Come To The Rescue? (Forbes); Apple promises customers a safer digital world – for a price (CNN)
• Is Apple Saying Goodbye to Fashion? When Apple introduced the Apple Watch five years ago, the whole tech industry began to flirt with style. But interest in wearables has cooled. (NYT)
• The Big Problem for All the New Gaming Platforms; Google and Apple were the first to unveil a “Netflix for video games,” but Microsoft has the big-name games. (Bloomberg)
• Buy Microsoft Stock Because of Its Big Cloud Deals, Says JPMorgan (MW)
• The battle to control artificial intelligence; One man holds the future of artificial intelligence in his hands. But is Google the right company to usher in the future of humanity? (AFR)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• This state-backed AI unicorn has helped Chinese police arrest 10,000 criminals; Initially focused on finance, Cloudwalk grew into the biggest AI supplier to Chinese banks, which use its facial recognition technology in ATMs (SCMP)
• Alibaba-backed fintech startup gets funding to take small biz loans to China (TIA)
• Online streaming service Leshi struggles to turn itself around; Once-hot Chinese company logs nearly $300m net loss as diversification backfires (Nikkei)
• How an Esports Queen Trounced Billionaire Heirs: One woman navigated this cutthroat, male-dominated world to build China’s biggest club, beating out rivals who came from riches. (Bloomberg)
• Developers’ lives matter’ – Chinese software engineers use Github to protest against the country’s 996 work schedule (Bloomberg)
• This Hong Kong Startup Uses Technology To Change Everyday Grocery Shopping (Forbes)
• Coming soon to a Geely car near you – Danish bank Saxo’s retail finance platform; Company wants Chinese investors to access 40,000 financial instruments trading on its platforms through dashboard app (SCMP)
• Japan is far ahead of the rest of the world in evocative machines, even though it’s not yet a formal discipline. There is a unique Japanese technology emerging from the nexus of AI, robotics, and healthcare, and it’s something that could utterly transform our world. (TIA)
• Cash-obsessed Japan slowly buying into digital payment systems (JT)
• Viva Republica faces hurdles in launching Korea’s 3rd internet-only bank (Investor)
• SendBird looks to break up messenger monopoly (Investor)
• Indian hotel unicorn Oyo says surpassing Marriott only the start; Tech startup kicks off global expansion of room rentals in Tokyo (Nikkei); OYO acquires midscale Chinese hotel brand Qianyu (ET)
• Shopmatic acquires 50.1% stake in Octopus (LM)
• BigBasket joins unicorn club with new $150 million funding round (ET)
• Singaporean startup DocDoc offers smart matches in medical care; It’s more than matchmaking for medical treatment. (KRA)
• Carro launches car subscription service in Singapore (TIA)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Softbank-backed firm wants to put 100,000 cloud-based robots in the market by 2021, to seek US$300 million in private funding (SCMP)
• Palantir wins $800 million contract to build the US Army’s next battlefield software system (TC)
• WeWork Lenders Are Getting Cold Feet; Rapid growth has left many bankers in Europe reluctant to provide more money to its landlords, threatening future growth. (Bloomberg)
• French start-up turns up the heat with ceramic storage (AFR)
• The robots coming to choose your groceries (AFR)
• SoftBank-backed Improbable makes a big bet on video games; Virtual simulation start-up’s losses increased tenfold last year as it ramped up spending (FT)
• Time Out audience engagement hit by Facebook changes; Media group gains momentum from digital advertising campaigns and food markets (FT)
• Lyft’s insurance problem (FT)
• Tech IPOs Aren’t the Milestones They Once Were; Changes in capital markets and startups have made going public less momentous. (Bloomberg)
• Schwab Switching to Subscription-Based Fee in Netflix-Like Move (Bloomberg)
• How 5G Will Transform the Way We Live and Work (Bloomberg)
• Financial Management Startup Carta Is Raising New Funding at a $1.8 Billion Valuation (Bloomberg)
• Tech Stocks Morph Into a Three-Headed Monster (Bloomberg)

Life

• Different Kinds of Information (MH)
• AI Powers a New Innovation Machine (BCG); How Collaborative Platforms and Ecosystems Are Changing Innovation (BCG)
• Ask yourself these five questions to find your best self; Finding an “alter ego” for yourself is a self-development strategy that can help you navigate the struggles that life presents with more grace and more grit. (FastCo)
• Equity Financial Assets: A Tool for Earnings Management?A Case Study of a Chinese Corporation (Abacus)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (28 March 2019) – Would you like fries with that? McDonald’s drive-throughs will start making personalised suggestions based on artificial intelligence

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (28 March 2019) – Would you like fries with that? McDonald’s drive-throughs will start making personalised suggestions based on artificial intelligence

Companies

• US ban bruises earnings at 4 Chinese tech companies; ZTE posts net loss for 2018 after sanctions damaged operations and image; Sales growth in 2018 fell for the other companies banned by the U.S., excluding Huawei. Hikvision shrunk to 19% from 31% (Nikkei)
• Japan Internet Giants Join Forces as Payments Race Heats Up; Line and Mercari become allies to take on SoftBank, Rakuten; The race is on for dominance in Japanese cashless transactions (Bloomberg); Japan’s Line and Mercari form mobile payment partnership; Chat app operator, e-retailer aim for scale to survive intense competition (Nikkei); Japan’s Line and Mercari form mobile payment partnership; Chat app operator, e-retailer aim for scale to survive intense competition (Nikkei)
• Missteps mar Japanese e-tailer Zozo’s fashion house look; Aggressive expansion creates bargain-basement image; “Zozotown is being used as a place to get rid of inventory” (Nikkei)
• Sony to conduct tests on remotely driven cars with NTT Docomo (JT)
• BizLink looks to electric vehicles to drive growth (TT)
• Mechanical motion control component and industrial robot maker Hiwin Technologies has reported net profit of NT$5.392 billion (US$175 million), hiking 96.96% on year to hit a company record. (DT)
• Hong Leong goes live with Iress ViewPoint (FE)

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

• Alibaba-owned Lazada to bolster financial services offerings (Technode); A Payments App Backed by Jack Ma That’s Mimicking Ant Financial (Bloomberg)
• Tencent rolls out logistics interface for vendors on WeChat; Not only does this move allow Tencent to step further into e-commerce, it also encourages additional usage of its e-wallet. (KRA)
• Tencent leads in Series B round for Chinese patient-centric business Shuidi (KRA)
• Naspers CEO Bets on Dutch Listing to Fix Tencent Discount (Bloomberg)

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

• How Facebook could target ads in age of encryption; Zuckerberg promises privacy, but experts warn metadata can be mined to build behavioural profiles (FT)
• The Enormous Numbers Behind Amazon’s Market Reach (Bloomberg)
• Gmail will now let you interact with messages just like web pages right in your inbox (TNW)
• How Apple’s Event Reveals The Strategic Flaw In Its Thinking (Forbes)
• Apple vs. Netflix: Turf wars flaring in big tech reflect limits to growth (JT); Apple Services May Be Worth More Than the iPhone Business, Analyst Says (Barron’s); Apple Is Betting Big on Digital Subscriptions. Here’s Why. (Barron’s); Apple Still Doesn’t Get the News-Subscription Business; To appeal to users, the latest service needs to give access to major publications such as the New York Times and the Washington Post. (Bloomberg); Apple’s Current Products Could Be the Key to Success for Its New Services (Barron’s); The New Apple Services That Will Generate the Most Revenue, According to an Analyst (Barron’s)
• Netflix’s Challenge in India: The Competition Is Cheaper (Barron’s)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• From Big Macs to Nikes: Hong Kong AI start-up Miro uses computer vision to track your sneakers in races (SCMP)
• Appetite for food-delivery apps wanes among small restaurant owners (Technode)
• Bytedance to launch K-12 online education platform (TC)
• When did Huawei get so very good at making phones? It seems the answer to the question of how phone cameras got to be so good is straightforward: artificial intelligence. (AFR)
• Eight more companies given go-ahead to list on Shanghai’s new tech board (SCMP)
• Can China’s tech industry up its game and take the lead when it comes to innovation and research? China recently signalled its ambition to become a global tech superpower (SCMP)
• China property giants face call of tech sirens (Reuters)
• China’s green-vehicle makers feel the blues as subsidies ebb; BYD’s profit drops as automakers bleed cash to keep prices low amid rising sales (Nikkei)
• Google-Backed AI Startup Seeks $1 Billion Valuation Before Its IPO (Bloomberg)
• China’s Closing the $6 Trillion Electric-Car Gap; Beijing is redirecting subsidies to charging infrastructure. This is commendable, but implementation will be key. (Bloomberg)
• China can excel in consumer robotics, says Credit Suisse Asset Management specialist (SCMP)
• Bukalapak launches capital funding solutions Modal Mitra for kiosk owners (e27)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• McDonald’s Stock Is Up Because the Company Is Betting on Artificial Intelligence (Barron’s); Would you like fries with that? McDonald’s drive-throughs will start making personalised suggestions (SCMP)
• The Slack AI assistant automating creative tasks and driving data-driven decision making (TNW)
• Before breaking up with Shopify, Mailchimp quietly acqui-hired LemonStand, a Shopify competitor (TC)
• The Irrational Exuberance Of Lyft’s IPO: Will The Bubble Burst? (Forbes)
• Adobe to Unveil Software Platform, Taking on Salesforce (Bloomberg)
• Unilever to pick ‘trusted publishers’ for digital advertising (Reuters)
• Auto1 Challenges EBay, Scout24 With German Car Classifieds Push (Bloomberg)

Life

• Lincoln on How to Handle Criticism (BP)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (27 March 2019) – Coding will be mandatory in Japan’s primary schools from 2020

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (27 March 2019) – Coding will be mandatory in Japan’s primary schools from 2020

Companies

• Meituan adds grocery delivery to its ‘everything’ app (Technode)
• Livestream app Inke’s 2018 profits fall on lack of innovation as segment weakens (Technode)
• China video-streaming firm iQIYI targets raising $1.1 billion in convertible bonds (Reuters)
• Google charts its own course to the future in Japanese maps; Users gripe about quality as internet powerhouse pulls back from local partner Zenrin (Nikkei)
• Global firm Hosokawa Micron launches state-of-the-art lab facility at Sci-Tech Daresbury (BMS)
• Viva Republica finalizes consortium for internet-only Toss Bank which includes Korea Electronic Certification Authority (KH)
• Sea’s e-commerce platform could turn profit ‘in couple of years’; Shopee has focused on building scale to face competition (FT)

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

• Technology and big data analysis drive 80-time average growth in fund size at world’s most-used money market fund platform; Since its move to include funds from outside managers, Yu’e Bao has expanded into a cash management platform with 20 funds (SCMP)
• Alibaba’s Tmall online supermarket aims to cover almost all Chinese households (KRA)
• com and Alibaba export AI and robot logistics expertise; E-commerce giants expand delivery and warehouse solutions beyond China (Nikkei)
• Huawei bets on high-end handsets to dethrone Samsung in Europe (Nikkei)
• Move Over Warren Buffett–For This $200 Billion Man From Japan (Forbes)

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

• Apple Stock Will Plunge Because There’s Not Much Profit in New Services, Goldman Sachs Says (Barron’s); All the Businesses Apple Wants to Disrupt — and Whether It Can (Barron’s); With iPhone sales slowing, Apple bets on video, gaming, news and a credit card (Economist); Apple’s new services could either be Netflix ‘poison’ or barely meaningful (MW); Apple Is Reinventing Itself as the Ultimate Middleman; The company just launched three new ways to take a cut of your paycheck-and one card to pay for it all. (Slate); Apple’s Services Event (Stratechery); Apple spotlights services with TV, gaming and credit card offerings (Reuters); Apple News+, at $10 a month, could deliver more content than multiple subscriptions (Reuters); Apple Card puts customer first, Goldman second (Reuters); Goldman’s Apple pairing furthers bank’s mass-market ambitions (Reuters); The real choice you make when you subscribe to Apple services (Wired)
• As Amazon Leads Cashless Charge, States and Cities Push Back (Bloomberg)
• Netflix pilots $4 mobile plan in India to woo users (Reuters)
• Nvidia-Mellanox deal underestimates China anti-monopoly risk (Technode); Nvidia CEO says no plans for more acquisitions after Mellanox deal (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Beijing gave its biggest electric-vehicle maker $1 billion in help toward a single year of sales (qz); China Scales Back Electric-Car Subsidies to Spur Innovation (Bloomberg)
• Bytedance reportedly launches reading app (Technode); Douyin tests long videos to win new users (KRA)
• Can China’s tech industry up its game and take the lead when it comes to innovation and research? (SCMP)
• This 31-Year-Old Built A Billion-Dollar Business By Developing AI-Powered Facial Recognition Tech (Forbes)
• Japan’s mom-and-pop shops gain global e-commerce platform (Nikkei)
• Coding will be mandatory in Japan’s primary schools from 2020 (Nikkei)
• D-WAVE’s “Leap”, which will lease approximately 1.7 billion yen of quantum computers for free, will finally be officially released in Japan (TC)
• Indonesia to fix motorbike ride-hailing rates; may hurt Grab, Go-Jek (Reuters)
• Indian Railways has earned $3 million in just parking charges from taxi aggregators (qz)
• Coles turns to robots in grocery home-delivery overhaul (Age); Welcome to supermarkets 3.0: Robots, AI and dark stores (Age)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Spotify acquires true crime studio Parcast to expand its original podcast content (TC); Spotify to buy podcasting business Parcast for more than $100m; Music streaming group makes third podcasting acquisition in two months (FT)
• Adobe and Salesforce announce Customer Data Platforms to pull data into single view (TC); Adobe announces two new analytics tools to help marketers fill in the customer picture (TC); Adobe launches its Commerce Cloud, based on its Magento acquisition (TC); Adobe announces deeper data sharing partnership with Microsoft around accounts (TC); Adobe, Microsoft to take on Salesforce’s marketing software, with LinkedIn as a weapon (Reuters)
• Unicorns aren’t profitable, and Wall Street doesn’t care (TC)
• Hello Alfred launches new platform to reach more buildings and improve accessibility (TC)
• Lola.com raises $37M to take on SAP and others in the world of business travel (TC)
• How the Internet of Things is making the world a safer haven (e27)
• Vlocity nabs $60M Series C investment on $1B valuation (TC)
• Travis Kalanick’s new venture buys UK ‘dark kitchens’ business; Ex-Uber chief looks to expand outside US through acquisitions; Travis Kalanick’s CloudKitchens would enable restaurants to share facilities and cut overheads (FT)
• The PDF is dead: e-invoicing surge to speed up payment times (Age)
• McDonald’s $300 Million Deal Is Another Feat for a Tech Dynasty (Bloomberg)
• Oracle Trims Staff During Difficult Transition to Cloud Services (Bloomberg)
• Online furniture retailer Wayfair Inc. will open a physical store in its home state this year, the latest e-commerce company looking to impress customers with showrooms and displays rather than just websites and Facebook posts. (Bloomberg)
• Online mattress retailer Casper to hire IPO underwriters – sources (Reuters)
• 3 New SaaS Venture Rounds And Their Supporting Growth Metrics (CB)
• Depressed and Anxious? These Video Games Want to Help (NYT)

Life

• How to pursue your dream when everyone says it won’t work (FastCo)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (26 March 2019) – Deep Science AI joins Defendry to automatically detect crimes on camera

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (26 March 2019) – Deep Science AI joins Defendry to automatically detect crimes on camera

Companies

• China Literature Ltd., which operates one of the country’s leading online literature platforms, had signed 7.7 million writers and offered 112 million online literature works by the end of 2018 (Xinhua)
• Investors take legal action against Nio for ‘misleading statements’ (Technode)
• USI Collaborates with Microsoft to Launch the World’s First Azure Sphere Combo Module Designed to Meet Data Security and Connectivity Needs (ITN)
• New Applications with Operational Updates in WiseChip Transparent OLED Displays Series (ITN)
• Altium Launches “Altium Academic Programs” to Empower Next Generation of Technology Innovators (PRNW)

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

• Alibaba acquires Israeli startup Infinity Augmented Reality (TC)
• Samsung Issues Rare Profit Warning on Slump in Memory-Chip Price (Bloomberg)
• Only ‘No. 1’ companies will survive in AI era, says SoftBank CEO; Rivalry heats up as ride-hailing companies head to public markets (Nikkei)

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

• Facebook crumbles around its lonely king (MW); Social media executives will be threatened with the introduction of jail sentences unless the industry co-operates with stopping their platforms being used to spread terrorist and extremist material. (AFR)
• Apple leaves a lot of questions about its subscription services unanswered (MW); Apple wants investors to focus on its services business. Regulators may, too (CNN); Tim Cook says Apple Card is a game changer. Experts are not so sure (CNN); What Apple’s Credit Card Means For Fintech (Forbes); Apple Card will make credit card fraud a lot more difficult (TC); Apple TV+ makes Facebook Watch look like a joke (TC); Apple TV+ joins crowded market for streaming options (Reuters); Apple’s not building a Netflix-killer. It’s got something bigger in mind (Age); Apple Launches $10 a Month Magazine, News Subscription Service (Bloomberg); Apple Shows Off Apple TV+ Video Service, Taking on Netflix (Bloomberg); Apple Debuts Apple Arcade Gaming Subscription Service (Bloomberg); Even Oprah Can’t Paper Over Apple’s Services Flaws; The iPhone maker’s big event highlights some half-baked ideas. (Bloomberg); Apple’s next big things are not things – hardware giant shifts to services with TV streaming, news, credit card and games; The strategic transformation of the tech giant into a content provider puts it in competition with Netflix and other streaming services (SCMP); Apple working on games subscription service for gadgets: Bloomberg (Reuters); Apple stretches to take on Netflix, Amex, Disney (Reuters)
• Apple’s new ‘Sesame Street’-themed TV show will teach kids coding basics (TC)
• Why Netflix Won’t Be Disrupted by New Competition From Apple (Barron’s); Why Netflix Won’t Be Part of Apple TV (NYT)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China no match for US unicorns in AI, big data and robotics as it continues to play catch-up in R&D, says Credit Suisse (SCMP)
• Yunji, a startup that enables social commerce via WeChat, files for $200M US IPO (TC)
• This small team is building a social credit system app for China’s youth to determine who’s naughty or nice; A state-linked company partnering with the Communist Youth League Central Committee has launched a big-data credit app aimed at incentivizing positive action (SCMP); Life as one of China’s 13 million ‘deadbeats’ means slow trains, special ring tones; Individuals on a national list of ‘discredited individuals’ are barred from taking airplanes and high-speed trains (SCMP)
• Xenodata, which develops the financial information AI analysis service “xenoBrain”, to raise 780 million yen (TC)
• Aussie ‘influencer’ platform shoots for US stars after big capital raise (AFR)
• Airwallex becomes the fastest Aussie unicorn after $US100m raise (AFR); Airwallex enables customers to create international bank accounts instantly, access interbank exchange rates and send money through local and international clearing networks to more than 130 countries. (Age)
• Delhivery leading e-commerce logistics market is not a winner-takes-all game, says expert (FE)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Deep Science AI joins Defendry to automatically detect crimes on camera (TC)
• Can AI be a fair judge in court? Estonia thinks so (Wired)
• McDonald’s to buy AI company Dynamic Yield; Acquisition will help burger group customise its menu displays based on differing variables (FT); McDonald’s is acquiring Dynamic Yield to create a more customized drive-thru (TC); McDonald’s $300 Million Tech Deal Will Revolutionize Menus (Bloomberg)
• Warnings of a Dark Side to A.I. in Health Care (NYT)
• The Unicorn Stampede Is Coming (Bloomberg)
• Tradeweb Markets plans to raise up to $709 million in IPO (Reuters)
• Naspers Brings SoftBank-Style Mega-Tech to Europe; A $100 billion technology investor is about to land in the continent. (Bloomberg)
• Pinterest’s future relies on pegging global sales (Reuters)
• Lyft: Last Mile or Last Straw? (Morningstar)

Life

• In the face of adversity, are you a Guernsey or a Brahman? (FS)
• Mind your emotions: why emotional agility is the key to personal growth (Medium)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (25 March 2019) – HEROZ AI automatically proposes stock portfolio based on financial theory in new service for SMBC Nikko Securities; AI can be trusted to take our 911 calls

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (25 March 2019) – HEROZ AI automatically proposes stock portfolio based on financial theory in new service for SMBC Nikko Securities; AI can be trusted to take our 911 calls

Companies

• HEROZ AI automatically proposes stock portfolio based on financial theory in new service for SMBC Nikko Securities (TC)
• Vision Travel and Direct Travel enhance booking capabilities through Serko’s Zeno (TW)
• Are Info Edge investors betting too much on Zomato valuations? (LM)

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

• Samsung scouts AI startups in Paris (Investor)

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

• Amazon gets an edge with its secret squad of PhD economists (CNN)
• Amazon makes own play for the beauty sector as online brands pick up steam (MW)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• The Complex Fortune Growing Inside World’s Most Valuable Startup (Bloomberg)
• China’s Ping An Insurance finds success with focus on tech; Aggressive R&D begins to pay off and complement main business (Nikkei)
• Disaster survivor brings AI solutions to Asian insurance (Nikkei)
• The growth of global accommodation marketplace Airbnb in Australia has proven a boon for local property management start-up Hometime, which credits the platform for quadrupling its revenue in 13 months. (AFR)
• $500m ‘Black Mirror’ app chases ASX IPO (AFR)
• PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is the world’s most popular smartphone game. Indian cities have banned it, fearing it turns children into ‘psychopaths’ (SCMP)
• Delhi drives push for electric vehicles in India; $1.5bn in government subsidies will support electric scooters, three-wheelers and buses Bangalore electric scooter maker (FT)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• AI can be trusted to take our 911 calls (TNW)
• Banks use AI to catch rogue traders before the act; Technology presents an opportunity to spot errant bankers before misconduct takes place (FT)
• Google Search Moves Hurt Pinterest’s Growth, IPO Filing Shows (Bloomberg)
• Could Walmart be the next big company to launch a game streaming service? (TC)
• Smart grids are essential to prevent old power infrastructure from holding back the US economy (TNW)

Life

• Dirty Work For Robots: How Two Young Immigrant Entrepreneurs Created Oven-Sized Roombas To Chase A $5B Opportunity (Forbes)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (23 March 2019) – Pinduoduo’s free cash flow conundrum + Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (23 March 2019) – Pinduoduo’s free cash flow conundrum + Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries

Companies

• Pinduoduo’s free cash flow conundrum (Technode)
• Zenrin Falls on Speculation That Google Maps Partnership Is Over (Bloomberg)

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

• Tencent doubles down on customized cloud computing services (Technode)
• Lazada bets on Chinese e-commerce models to win big in burgeoning Southeast Asian markets (SCMP)

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

• Gaming Meets the Cloud and Investors Scramble to Catch Up (Barron’s); Can Google’s Stadia compete with consoles and high-end PCs? Richard Waters looks at the tough technical challenges behind cloud gaming (FT); Big Tech competes to be the Netflix of gaming; Google, Apple and Microsoft want to use the cloud to let people play any game at any time on any device (FT)
• Future shock: inside Google’s smart city; Plans to build a tech-fired Utopia in Toronto are gaining momentum — as privacy fears grow (FT)
• How Netflix Nearly Lost Its Footing During the Recession and What It Did to Recover (Medium)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Automaker Changan parters with Tencent, Alibaba on RMB 10 billion mobility business (Technode)
• Social commerce platform Yunji to go public on Nasdaq; The company was fined by Chinese authority in 2017 for running an online pyramid scheme. (KRA)
• In the race for 5G, Chinese carriers go slow and steady; Government’s push for cheaper rates discourages capital expenditure (Nikkei)
• Shanghai approves IPO applications by nine pioneers on Nasdaq-style tech board; No e-commerce or internet-related firms in the running to list on new board (SCMP)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Pinterest files to go public. Its not-so-secret weapon: Moms (CNN); Pinterest has long shunned being labelled a social network. Because of that, it doesn’t push users to add friends or build connections. It also means it’s been able to avoid problems of its larger rivals like Facebook. (Age); Is Pinterest Good Enough for the Growth-Crazed IPO Market? A 60 percent revenue increase may pale next to turbocharged startups. (Bloomberg)
• Zoom, a video-conferencing company, is the rare tech IPO that’s profitable (qz)
• LAPD audit reveals dangers of high-tech policing (CNN)
• Velodyne’s Godfather Of Laser Sensors Hits $500 Million Milestone, Sets His Sights On Safer Self-Driving Cars (Forbes)
• ‘Nothing is off the cards’: Canva has designs on Nasdaq listing (Age)
• TV Streaming Is Too Fragmented and Too Complicated. This Needs to Change. (Barron’s)
• How Comic Con’s Owner Is Harnessing Tech to Power Its Stock (Barron’s)

Life

• Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries Hardcover – March 19, 2019 (Amazon); Safi Bahcall – On Thinking Big, Curing Cancer, and Transforming Industries (#364) (Tim Ferris)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (22 March 2019) – It’s Not Enough to Be Right-You Also Have to Be Kind

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (22 March 2019) – It’s Not Enough to Be Right-You Also Have to Be Kind; Takedowns and clever quips are easy, but empathy and persuasion are better

Companies

• Kakao acquires 28.9% stake in Tidesquare (Investor)
• GIS to ramp up in-display fingerprint sensor shipments to Samsung starting 2Q19 (Digitimes)
• VGI and AnyMind Group sign tech partnership (NM)
• Nearmap Aerial Imagery Helps Elite Grounds Achieve Ground-Breaking Increases in Accuracy and Productivity (BW)

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

• Alibaba to run its entire business on the cloud (Technode); Alibaba to step up cloud computing expansion amid growing global demand (SCMP)
• Fliggy, the online travel platform owned by Alibaba, launches its own shopping portal (KRA)
• Tencent to begin closed beta for cloud gaming service Start (Technode, KRA)
• Tencent to cut reliance on China gaming after profit hit (Reuters); Tencent loses steam as new growth engines struggle to take off; Asia’s once-most-valuable tech company suffers steepest profit drop in 14 years (Nikkei); Relax, Things Really Aren’t So Bad at Tencent; Management trimmed its marketing budget, and games monetization is back. That’s good news, really. (Bloomberg); Why Tencent Missed the Mark on Profit by Most in a Decade (Bloomberg)
• Clouded vision: Masayoshi Son prepares to unleash his second $100bn tech fund; Volatility in tech stocks, the Khashoggi scandal and frictions over governance have changed the mood around the Vision Fund (Economist)

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

• Apple TV App To Get A Second Life With Video Subscription Service (Forbes)
• Amazon to Launch Mobile Ads, in a Threat to Google and Facebook (Bloomberg)
• Google’s new gaming service will let game makers use rival clouds, executive says (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Wave of layoffs washes over China’s tech giants; Mass demotion at Tencent follows job cuts at JD.com and NetEase (Nikkei)
• The China Tech Bubble Is Dead. Long Live the China Tech Bubble; Offshore private equity funds struggled to compete with a wave of onshore money. Now it’s retreating, and the water looks more inviting. (Bloomberg)
• World’s Biggest AI Startup Exploring Cars, Global Expansion (Bloomberg)
• Chinese smartphone firms jazz up products, seize turf in home market from Apple (Reuters)
• China’s auto, internet giants set up 9.76 billion yuan fund to invest in ride-sharing industry (Reuters)
• Meet TikTok, the social media your kids are watching (AFR)
• Chinese e-commerce platform Little Red Book upgrades its brand partner platform (KRA)
• Race is on for tech companies like Grab, Ant Financial to gain an edge in SE Asia’s financial services market (SCMP)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Robotics process automation startup UiPath raising $400M at more than $7B valuation (TC)
• Rent the Runway hits a $1 billion valuation (TC)
• Big banks are using AI to keep out of trouble (CNN)
• Doctor App Babylon Health Offers Quick Appointments, But Grapples With Follow-Up Care For Mental Health (Forbes)
• Square Stock Is a Buy Because Its Cash App Will Grow, Analyst Says (Barron’s)
• Spotify enters high-stakes licensing talks with music industry; Universal, Sony and Warner control two-thirds of streaming service’s catalogue (FT)
• Someone Else Is Making Money on Your Online Returns (Bloomberg)
• Scientists reveal ancient social networks using AI-and x-rays (Wired)

Life

• Why book value has lost its meaning: The trouble with intangibles (Economist)
• It’s Not Enough to Be Right-You Also Have to Be Kind; Takedowns and clever quips are easy, but empathy and persuasion are better (Ryan Holiday)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (21 March 2019) – Asian gaming companies face disruption from likes of Google; Next-generation cloud-based gaming will change the face of the industry; Asian gaming market accounted for 45%, or close to $44 billion, worth of the global industry in 2017

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (21 March 2019) – Asian gaming companies face disruption from likes of Google; Next-generation cloud-based gaming will change the face of the industry; Asian gaming market accounted for 45%, or close to $44 billion, worth of the global industry in 2017

Companies

• Spotify rival Tencent Music posts maiden quarter loss of $130M on one-off costs (TC); Tencent Music hits low pitch after first earnings report exposes costs (Reuters)
• ‘Everything app’ Meituan Dianping tumbles as end of lock-up nears; Tencent-backed group has posted widening losses on higher costs (FT)
• Investors fret about Xiaomi’s game plan, sending shares tumbling; Investors worry about Xiaomi’s ability to transition into higher-profit segments (SCMP)
• Struggling Meitu lays off 30% of its employees (KRA)
• Toei Animation Denies ‘Dragon Ball Super’ Return, Insider Stand Firm On Its Comeback (BTC)
• Citadel Group: signs contracts with RAH and University of Melbourne; CHARM platform goes live (KKM, AN)
• Fundies take a look at ASX-hopeful ReadyTech’s backers (AFR)

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

• Tencent seeks new growth in year of transition as consumer businesses mature (SCMP)
• What is WeChat’s dream? WeChat founder Allen Zhang explains (WC)
• Samsung expects tough 2019 as memory segment stalls (Nikkei)

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

• What Facebook needs to learn from WeChat’s group-chat pains (Technode)
• Instagram Is Asking for PayPal’s Help to Improve Its Shopping Experience (Barron’s)
• What Facebook’s Privacy Pivot Could Mean for Its Stock (Barron’s)
• Google’s new gaming service will let game makers use rival clouds, executive says (Reuters); What latency feels like on Google’s Stadia cloud gaming platform (TC); Google throws down clear challenge to gaming world; New video game streaming service has potential to upend $135bn industry (FT); Google Just Showed Us the Future of Gaming; Data centers could make individual game consoles obsolete (Medium)
• How to book train tickets in India straight from the Google Pay app (TNW)
• Teams, Microsoft’s Slack competitor, says it’s signed up over 500k organizations, adds whiteboard and live events support (TC)
• Amazon (sub)Prime? How commingling has contaminated Amazon inventory and paved the way for a huge lemon problem. (FT)
• Netflix Stock Could Keep Surging Because It Truly Is a Global Company (Barron’s)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• The China Tech Bubble Is Dead. Long Live the China Tech Bubble; Offshore private equity funds struggled to compete with a wave of onshore money. Now it’s retreating, and the water looks more inviting. (Bloomberg)
• What makes China a tough yet exciting market for SaaS (TIA)
• PicsArt hits 130 million MAUs as Chinese flock to its photo editing app (TC)
• Smart speakers in China are learning dialects (KRA)
• ByteDance shifts attention to live broadcasting business with its new centralised platform; ByteDance is making moves to amp up revenues from its live broadcasting businesses (KRA)
• Tencent-backed Kwai launches new app to go after Douyin’s core users (KRA)
• Ping An acquires Lenovo Smart Medical to help digitalize hospitals (KRA)
• Asian gaming companies face disruption from likes of Google; Next-generation cloud-based gaming will change the face of the industry (Nikkei)
• Japanese-led AnyMind raises $8m for AI ads in Bangkok stations (Nikkei)
• Race is on for tech companies like Grab, Ant Financial to gain an edge in SE Asia’s financial services market (SCMP); Grab vs. Go-Jek: Inside Asia’s Battle of the ‘Super Apps’; The rival ride-hailing services are now dueling to deliver everything from groceries to mortgages to Southeast Asia’s middle class. (Fortune)
• Indonesian mobile wallet Ovo adds mutual funds investment feature; The move extends Ovo services beyond payment (KRA)
• Thailand’s mobile-only bank challenges millennials to save (Nikkei)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• The Venture-Capital Bubble Is Going to Burst (Barron’s)
• Postmates’ newest feature is like Uber POOL for food delivery (TC)
• How Podcasts Learned to Speak; The once useless-seeming medium that became essential. With 660,000 shows and 62 million listeners, the century’s first new art form enters its corporate stage. (Vulture)
• Disney Moves From Behemoth to Colossus With Closing of Fox Deal (NYT)
• The world is coming after Silicon Valley. Tech companies must evolve to survive (CNN)
• Next Billion-Dollar Startups News: 3-D Printing Startup Markforged Raises $82 Million (Forbes)
• Walmart’s Chief Technology Officer leaves company as e-commerce wars flare (Reuters)
• Can Magic Leap’s ‘mixed reality’ find the human touch? The idea that we could be captured for posterity, or teleported for a holographic call, is tantalisingly close (FT)
• ESPN’s Ex-President Wants to Build the Netflix of Sports (Bloomberg)
• How an App for Gamers Went Mainstream; Discord has become an indispensable tool for internet creators to connect with their fans. (Atlantic)
• Franchise Value: videogame IP vs. movie IP (Medium)

Life

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (20 March 2019) – Tibber, a Norwegian AI to smartly manage energy + His Bosses Rejected His Idea. Then Hans Langer Became A Billionaire From His Plan For Giant 3-D Printers

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (20 March 2019) – Tibber, a Norwegian AI to smartly manage energy + His Bosses Rejected His Idea. Then Hans Langer Became A Billionaire From His Plan For Giant 3-D Printers

Companies

• With 23% annual revenue growth, Tencent-backed China Literature wants to be the next Marvel (KRA)
• Xiaomi has lost almost 30 percent since its highly anticipated trading debut in Hong Kong last July, hampered by plateauing smartphone demand globally and especially in its home market, where it still generated more than half its revenue (Bloomberg); Xiaomi calls on home AI devices for post-smartphone growth (Nikkei); In India, Xiaomi joins the mobile wallet war (TIA)
• Sony and Nintendo shares drop on Google gaming plans; Internet giant announced launch of cloud-based gaming service (FT)
• Trend Micro CFO Mahendra Negi expects jump in revenue from India (TO)
• Rakuten Billionaire Has a New Goal for His 17,000 Workers: Learn to Code (Bloomberg)
• Atlassian’s Trello aims for the enterprise (TC); Atlassian customer problems behind $US166m AgileCraft acquisition (AFR); Atlassian founders worth $10 billion each after record stock rise (Age)
• Mindtree founders ‘condemn’ L&T’s hostile bid, call it a ‘grave threat’ (Forbes)

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

• TikTok operator Bytedance buys gaming start-up in move likely to sharpen rivalry with Tencent (SCMP)
• Tencent clawing its way back from cliffhanger year, winning rave analyst reviews ahead of earnings (SCMP); Tencent to demote 10% of middle managers as game sector falters (Nikkei); Tencent Music meets profit estimates in first earnings report, shares fall (Reuters)

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

• Can Google Create the Netflix of Gaming? (Bloomberg); Google’s new Stadia gaming platform is all about streamers (TC); Google’s Stadia game-streaming platform kills downloads and lets you play anywhere (TC); Google skips the console and launches Stadia video game streaming service (CNN, FT)
• Facebook Live Has Got to Go; The social-media giant may be doing more harm than good with live video (WSJ)
• Instagram launches shopping checkout, charging sellers a fee (TC); You can now buy products directly on Instagram (CNN); Instagram launches in-app online shopping feature; Facebook-owned platform partners with 20 vendors including Adidas, Burberry and Zara (FT)
• Teams, Microsoft’s Slack competitor, says it’s signed up over 500k organizations, adds whiteboard and live events support (TC)
• Apple’s Big Spending Plan to Challenge Netflix Takes Shape (NYT)
• Why Netflix is diving deeper into interactive storytelling; Netflix announces that Bear Grylls will front its next choose-your-adventure experiment-and there’s more to come in horror, adventure, and romance. (FastCo)
• Nvidia Stock Will Rise Because of Its Expanding Ecosystem, Analyst Says (Barron’s); Toyota taps Nvidia simulator to develop self-driving cars (Nikkei)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Chinese AI start-up Megvii said to plan IPO in either Hong Kong or New York to raise up to US$800 million (SCMP)
• How AI, facial recognition technologies are revolutionising physical security in Asia (SCMP)
• Beauty is the new buzzword in China’s tech world; From virtual makeovers to 3D nail polish printers, companies take makeup to the future (Nikkei)
• China’s tech giants leap over ‘Great Firewall’ to spread message; Huawei uses Facebook and Twitter to counter Trump’s narrative on security risk (Nikkei)
• Forget Tesla, It’s China’s E-Buses That Are Denting Oil Demand (Bloomberg)
• Bytedance forms internal platform to support live-streaming business (Technode)
• In bid to up its monetization game, Q&A site Zhihu expands membership program (Technode)
• Singapore’s Pine Labs acquires gift card tech company Qwikcilver in $110 million deal (Forbes)
• Bunnings to launch full e-commerce service (AFR)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Founders Fund invests in Tibber, a Norwegian AI to smartly manage energy (TC)
• AI has become table stakes in sales, customer service and marketing software (TC)
• Camera maker Insta360 raises $30M as it eyes 2020 IPO (TC)
• Glossier started as a beauty blog and is now valued at $1 billion (CNN)
• Digital health start-up Doctolib raises €150m at a €1bn+ valuation; French online medical appointment management service cements its ‘unicorn’ status (FT)
• A Chat About The PagerDuty S-1 (CB)

Life

• Basecamp CEO and co-founder Jason Fried gives us a peek behind the scenes of his company and discusses his philosophy on doing great work, making a positive difference, and learning to breathe in the fast paced culture of today’s workplace (FS)
• His Bosses Rejected His Idea. Then Hans Langer Became A Billionaire From His Plan For Giant 3-D Printers. (Forbes)
• Podcast #491: Everything You Know About Passion is Wrong (AOM)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (19 March 2019) – AI algorithms are now shockingly good at doing science; Whether probing the evolution of galaxies or discovering new chemical compounds, algorithms are detecting patterns no humans could have spotted.

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (19 March 2019) – AI algorithms are now shockingly good at doing science; Whether probing the evolution of galaxies or discovering new chemical compounds, algorithms are detecting patterns no humans could have spotted.

Companies

• China Literature readies free app as paid user numbers fall (Nikkei)
• Meituan latest Chinese unicorn to suffer post-listing slump; Delivery platform joins Xiaomi and Ping An Healthcare in getting sidetracked (Nikkei)
• China’s Largest Streaming Site iQiyi Is Coming After TikTok (Bloomberg)
• Here’s what you need to know about Wuhan Guide Infrared – China’s biggest thermal imager; China’s public security authorities have also bought Guide’s equipment to help track down criminals, for traffic surveillance, and for use in big infrastructure projects (SCMP)
• Chinese ethnic music gets global platform; Tencent Music is seeking to introduce the country’s ethnic music to a global audience at a major music festival in the United States (CD)
• Bandai Namco looks to be continuing development on their own Game Engine (GN)
• South Korea’s Kakao supplies voice assist for Hyundai cars; AI provides info on weather and stock prices in upcoming Sonata (Nikkei)
• Innodisk Showcasing Integrated AIoT Solutions with Strategic Partners at Embedded World 2019 (PRNW)
• Atlassian continues to focus on its base after Slack deal, with another acquisition (MW)
• WiseTech buying spree boosted by $250m capital raise (AFR)
• Australia’s Tech Stocks Trump U.S., Asia With 200% Rise (Bloomberg)

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

• Alibaba AI Labs to introduce AI cold call terminator (KRA)
• Alibaba launches free streaming of US basketball games (Nikkei)
• Shenzhen’s public transit now has a blockchain e-invoicing system built by Tencent (KRA)

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

• These are the robots that help you get your Amazon packages on time (TC)
• Most Amazon Brands Are Duds, Not Disrupters, Study Finds (Bloomberg)
• What is Amazon? (ZK)
• Apple Business Chat drives in-seat drink ordering at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland (TC)
• Apple ready to unveil big bet on television; Will media companies sign up to Apple’s TV platform? (FT)
• Can Google Create the Netflix of Gaming? (Bloomberg)
• Nvidia AI turns sketches into photorealistic landscapes in seconds (TC); Toyota doubles down on Nvidia tech for self-driving cars (TC); Nvidia bags Amazon Web Services in its latest data-center chip push (MW); Nvidia partners with Softbank to deploy cloud gaming servers in Japan (Reuters)
• Streaming wars heat up as rivals prepare to challenge Netflix (JT); Netflix says it will not join Apple TV service (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Xiaohongshu testing WeChat mini-program in e-commerce expansion (Technode)
• Chinese social commerce app Peanut Diary fined for alleged pyramid scheme (KRA)
• Meituan and Tencent-backed Chinese consumer goods platform Yijiupi raises $100m series D+ (KRA)
• Chinese TechCrunch Rival 36Kr Is Said to Plan Overseas IPO (Bloomberg)
• China’s crowded co-working industry turns to services amid funding crunch (Reuters)
• Shenzhen Transsion applies to raise capital on Shanghai’s technology board after taking Africa’s phone market by storm (SCMP)
• South Korea radar and thermal camera system warns ‘smartphone zombies’ of traffic (Reuters)
• Corporate training online marketplace GO1 has become the first Australian start-up to be backed by Microsoft’s global venture capital arm M12, (AFR)
• Singtel signs deal to expand mobile wallet alliance to Japan (Reuters)
• Southeast Asia hastens 5G shift to close development gap; Vietnam and Thailand aim to parlay technology into advances in self-driving and AI (Nikkei)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• AI algorithms are now shockingly good at doing science; Whether probing the evolution of galaxies or discovering new chemical compounds, algorithms are detecting patterns no humans could have spotted. (Wired)
• KashFlow founder Duane Jackson has launched Staffology, a payroll SaaS and API (TC)
• WorkClout brings SaaS to factory floor to increase operational efficiency (TC)
• S. firm FIS buys Worldpay for $35 billion in payments deal bonanza (Reuters)
• “A Modified Ponzi Scheme”: 78% Of Tesla Operating Cash Flow Has Come From Customer Deposits (ZH)
• The Unicorn’s ‘Van Wilder’ moment (FT)

Life

• Astrophysicist and Author Janna Levin Reads “Berryman” by W.S. Merwin: Some of the Finest and Most Soul-Salving Advice on How to Stay Sane as an Artist (BP)
• Yes, It’s All Your Fault: Active vs. Passive Mindsets (FS)
• Kingdee dropped 14 percent after David Webb published a critical report calling it a “bubble stock.” (Bloomberg)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (18 March 2019) – Japan’s fish farmers deploy AI and drones to feed hungry world; NEC, KDDI and Sharp bring high-tech solutions to traditional industry

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (18 March 2019) – Japan’s fish farmers deploy AI and drones to feed hungry world; NEC, KDDI and Sharp bring high-tech solutions to traditional industry

Companies

• TechnologyOne founder Adrian Di Marco’s 10-year start-up horizon (AFR)

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

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

• Digital wallet payments surge on Apple Pay: CBA (Age)
• The Endgame for LinkedIn Is Coming; After two years, Microsoft still hasn’t delivered on its grand vision for LinkedIn. And it may never do so. (Medium)
• Microsoft-Foxconn Royalty Fight is a Blast From the Past; Microsoft has largely moved away from these kinds of intellectual property deals but is still collecting money from older ones (Bloomberg)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Chinese university uses AI to check class attendance rates and find the reasons behind absenteeism (SCMP)
• China plans multibillion-dollar investment to knock US from top spot in fastest supercomputer ranking; China and the US dominate when it comes to the world’s fastest supercomputers, owning 45.4 per cent and 21.8 per cent of the top systems globally (SCMP)
• Ping An says artificial intelligence can address car insurance issues arising from three policies on Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge; The gap in mandatory motor insurance requirement is so huge that it is impossible for the governments of Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau to find a solution to unify their requirements in the near term. Drivers need three different insurance policies when using the bridge (SCMP)
• Japan’s fish farmers deploy AI and drones to feed hungry world; NEC, KDDI and Sharp bring high-tech solutions to traditional industry (Nikkei)
• Aussie entrepreneur’s airline lounge app bought by American Express (AFR)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Self-Driving Tractors Yet to Convince Farmers to Hand Over Keys (Bloomberg)

Life

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (16 March 2019) – China’s US$59 billion internet and technology bubble will trap many private-equity investors when it bursts, Bain says

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (16 March 2019) – China’s US$59 billion internet and technology bubble will trap many private-equity investors when it bursts, Bain says

Companies

• To beef up the application of AI, iFlytek has leveraged its years of expertise in voice recognition and machine translation in its latest product: a smart recorder. (ECNS)

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

• Jack Ma to sell Alibaba shares for wealth planning and philanthropic commitments (KRA)

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

• Facebook departure is a wake-up call for investors (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China’s US$59 billion internet and technology bubble will trap many private-equity investors when it bursts, Bain says (SCMP)
• Chinese startup sows seeds of farm revolution with drones and AI; XAG aims to ease grueling work of country’s aging rural population (Nikkei)
• For Chinese startup Seengene, the future is grounded in mixed reality (Technode)
• E-commerce complaints surged 126% in 2018: regulator (Technode)
• How short video app TikTok became the first Chinese-made app to take the world by storm (SCMP)
• How China’s Two Sessions offer glimpse into tech policy priorities (Technode)
• China’s Ant Financial, thwarted in the US, is expanding rapidly in Europe (qz)
• China’s Flexible Screen Pioneer Is Seeking $1 Billion in Funding (Bloomberg)
• Japan’s Startups Are Innovating Inbound Tourism And Business With High Tech (Forbes)
• Pay to join, mingle with purpose: community-based startups (Investor)
• Acko, a digital insurance provider in India, raises another $65M at a $300M valuation (TC)
• AI and linguistics offers clues to bank risk culture (AFR)
• Companies prepare for an AI-powered future; Qantas, WorleyParsons and ASX are at the forefront of applying AI (AFR)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• The High Price Of Next-Gen Mobility Apps (CB)
• Software Maker PagerDuty Files for IPO, Cites 10,800 Clients (Bloomberg)
• What Is the Future of Ecommerce? 10 Insights on the Evolution of an Industry (Shopify)
• How Digital Fulfillment Is Changing Manufacturing (HBR)

Life

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (15 March 2019) – How Artificial Intelligence Could Transform Medicine + Podcast #490: Can You Learn to Be Lucky?

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (15 March 2019) – How Artificial Intelligence Could Transform Medicine + Podcast #490: Can You Learn to Be Lucky?

Companies

• What Bilibili stakes reveal about Alibaba’s and Tencent’s content strategies (Technode)
• Live-streaming app Momo posts strong growth in 2018 amid climbing costs (Technode)
• China’s e-commerce players look to smaller cities to help drive consumption, growth; Alibaba, JD.com, Pinduoduo and Vipshop pursue expansion outside China’s leading metropolises (SCMP)
• Auto platform Uxin narrows losses on swelling used car sales (Technode)
• Trend Micro: IoT brings innovation, but also threats (TR)
• Japan’s Netflix contender bets on youth-driven viral hits; AbemaTV remains an unproven bet for its biggest backer, online ad agency CyberAgent, which launched the network three years ago with TV Asahi (Reuters)
• 3 Korean carpooling firms ignore Kakao Mobility-led agreement (Investor)
• Taiwan’s tech industry hunkers down after worst month since 2016; Key iPhone assembler Pegatron warns of a ‘hard year’ ahead (Nikkei)

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

• Samsung starts mass producing DRAM chip for foldable smartphones (Investor)

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

• Facebook Is Eroding Trust in Two-Factor Authentication (Medium)
• Why Were Facebook and Google Allowed to Get So Big?: QuickTake (Bloomberg)
• DeepMind and Google: the battle to control artificial intelligence; Demis Hassabis founded a company to build the world’s most powerful AI. Then Google bought him out. Hal Hodson asks who is in charge (1834mag)
• Google Quietly Releases Its Hotel Booking Destination With Potentially Huge Implications (Skift)
• Amazon now owns Eero, and it promises it won’t snoop on you (Wired)
• Siri, Tell Us About Apple’s Latest Acquisition (CB)
• Microsoft targets video game developers in challenge to Amazon’s cloud dominance (JT)
• Blind users can now explore photos by touch with Microsoft’s Seeing AI (TC)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• For China drone-maker DJI, the real money in labor-starved Japan is in the industrial sector (JT))
• Armed With Cash From Chipmaker SK Hynix, Korean Giant Spends Billions On Global Shopping Spree (Forbes)
• Drivezy, India’s vehicle-sharing startup, is raising $100M+ at a $400M valuation, eyes US expansion (TC)
• Digital health start-ups in India: The challenge of scale (Forbes)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• How Artificial Intelligence Could Transform Medicine (NYT)
• Fortnite’s developer is entering the retail business; Epic hopes to break the dominance of a firm called Valve-and another called Google (Economist)
• The next frontier in real estate technology (TC)
• Spotify boss warns of price rises in Apple antitrust dispute; Daniel Ek says music-streaming service could have ‘no other choice’ in face of App Store’s 30% fee (FT)
• Gro Intelligence looks to reap rewards from crop data; Agricultural information group uncovers trends it hopes can counter looming food shortage (FT)
• Ocado delivers on promise of high-tech future; Evolution into a maker of automated warehouses has changed online grocer’s outlook (FT)
• Polarr Raises $11.5M For AI-Driven Visual Content Enhancement (CB)
• DoorDash Has Pulled Ahead of GrubHub, Uber Eats in the On-Demand Food Delivery Race (Fortune)
• Pandora Pitches Ads Targeted to Amazon and Google Smart Speakers; Brands try to crack voice marketing in the restrictive worlds of Alexa and Google Assistant (WSJ)

Life

• Nietzsche’s Cure for Negativity: How to Harness the “Will to Power” (Medium)
• Podcast #490: Can You Learn to Be Lucky? (AOM)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (14 March 2019) – If You Can Explain China’s Pinduoduo, Lunch Is on Me + Hallucination vs. Vision, Selling Your Art in the Real World: Brian Koppelman Interviews Marc Andreessen

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (14 March 2019) – If You Can Explain China’s Pinduoduo, Lunch Is on Me + Hallucination vs. Vision, Selling Your Art in the Real World: Brian Koppelman Interviews Marc Andreessen

Companies

• If You Can Explain China’s Pinduoduo, Lunch Is on Me; Marketing costs have blown out to exceed revenue, yet investors drove up the stock 60 percent since the company’s IPO. (Bloomberg); New China billionaire drops US$2.8 billion as Pindoudou shares tumble (YF)
• China’s leading online music platform seeks greater global exposure of Chinese ethnic music (Xinhua)
• Hancom, iFLYTEK set up AI joint venture (KT)
• Momo predicts big growth in Eastern markets for its dating app Tantan (KRA)
• China’s BOE challenges Samsung in OLED sector (Investor)
• Line drops $20m to produce first Thai unicorn (KRA)
• Rakuten TV to expand movie streaming to 42 European countries (Reuters)
• Delta Electronics nets NT$7.00 per share for 2018; Delta has entered the supply chains for Tesla and China-based EV vendors and expects sales from the EV sector to reach US$500 million in 2022. (Digitimes)
• Atlassian goes national in remote working revolution (AFR)
• IRESS: End-to-end mortgage journey will be a reality this year (MI)
• Formula One complexity drives PWR margins higher (AFR)
• Kogan.com launches marketplace to compete with Catch, Amazon (AFR)

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

• SoftBank, Toyota in talks to invest $1 billion in Uber’s self-driving unit: sources (Reuters)

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

• Blind users can now explore photos by touch with Microsoft’s Seeing AI (TC)
• Google’s new voice recognition system works instantly and offline (if you have a Pixel) (TC)
• Amazon will no longer dictate how sellers price their products (CNN)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China’s on-demand delivery providers to tighten merchant inspection, as regulator finds 35,000 illegal restaurants on their platforms (SCMP)
• The Chinese education ministry wants to clamp down on the proliferation of campus apps (KRA)
• How China’s e-commerce playbook can help emerging economies transform (SCMP)
• How China’s KOLs convert fans to sales, creating a nearly US$9 billion industry; More than 70 per cent of Chinese Gen Z consumers prefer buying products directly via social media (SCMP)
• Asian tech companies struggle to adjust to iPhone slowdown (Nikkei)
• Hyperlocal goes wide; Startups take the horizontal route, delivering everything from food and groceries to medicines and stationery. After a catastrophic start, hyperlocals are back in vogue with Swiggy and Dunzo locked in a fierce battle (Forbes)
• Feeding the machine: Optus partners with AI startup Metigy (Age)
• ‘Overnight success is a farce’: Aussie founder sells startup last valued at $25.4m to American Express (Age)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Meet The Billionaire Who Defied Amazon And Built Wish, The World’s Most-Downloaded E-Commerce App (Forbes)
• Wayfair is nuts, when’s the crash? (FT)
• Enterprise Tech Race Spurs M&A Deals; Firms looking to boost digital capabilities last year pushed the value of deals in the enterprise-software sector to $182.2 billion (WSJ)
• Pandora Pitches Ads Targeted to Amazon and Google Smart Speakers; Brands try to crack voice marketing in the restrictive worlds of Alexa and Google Assistant (WSJ)
• ‘We Know Them. We Trust Them.’ Uber and Airbnb Alumni Fuel Tech’s Next Wave. (NYT)
• How big data really fits into lending (FT)
• US-based TodayTix in cheap ticket plan to attract millennials (Age)
• AI Needs Memory to Get Cozier with Compute (EET)
• Newsela, An EdTech Startup For Generation Z, Lands $50M From TCV (CB)
• African e-commerce startup Jumia files for IPO on NYSE (TC)

Life

• Hallucination vs. Vision, Selling Your Art in the Real World: Brian Koppelman Interviews Marc Andreessen (a16z)
• The only metric of success that really matters is the one we ignore; Warren Buffett, a friend of Gates, says that his measure of success comes down to one question: “Do the people you care about love you back?” (qz)
• Here’s a trick smart people can learn fast to improve decisions (AFR)
• Nobel-Winning Physicist Wolfgang Pauli on Science, Spirit, and Our Search for Meaning (BP)
• A Life of One’s Own: A Penetrating 1930s Field Guide to Self-Possession, Mindful Perception, and the Art of Knowing What You Really Want (BP)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (13 March 2019) – China may use facial recognition to stop kids from livestreaming; The US Government Will Be Scanning Your Face At 20 Top Airports; Citizen, the real-time crime alerting app, is growing in big cities

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (13 March 2019) – China may use facial recognition to stop kids from livestreaming; The US Government Will Be Scanning Your Face At 20 Top Airports; Citizen, the real-time crime alerting app, is growing in big cities

Companies

• China’s Qutoutiao is burning millions of dollars to take on TikTok parent (TC)
• Meituan willing to sacrifice profitability for growth as business model shifts from subsidies to investments; Meituan’s net loss widened 57 per cent to US$508 million, dragged down by its bike-sharing service Mobike (SCMP)
• New Oriental online education subsidiary files for Hong Kong IPO (Technode)
• Trend Micro launches security suite for telecom companies (NWA)
• Foxconn lashes out at Microsoft over royalties; Terry Gou says US tech giant’s latest lawsuit seeks to gain from US-China trade talks (Nikkei)
• Delta Electronics seeking to build sustainable 8K display ecosystem (Digitimes)
• Seoul Semiconductor wins top award in lighting sector (Investor)
• Global investment platform Praemium has signed a partnership with London and Jersey-based Enhance Group that will enable its clients to access the Australian firm’s technology. (IA)

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

• TSMC likely to post first annual profit drop in 8 years (Digitimes)

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

• YouTube Music launches in India to battle it out with Spotify et al (TNW)
• Apple’s Streaming Service Could Win 100 Million Subscriptions, Analyst Says (Barron’s)
• Netflix is pursuing more interactive content, including, maybe, a rom-com (TC); Analyst Who Called Netflix’s Rise Sees ‘Dramatic Returns’ for Spotify (Barron’s)
• Nvidia Is Buying Mellanox. Here’s What It Means for Semiconductors. (Barron’s)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• SenseTime facial recognition system to alert fatigued Shanghai bus drivers (Technode)
• China may use facial recognition to stop kids from livestreaming (TIA)
• Tencent-backed second-hand goods app gains traction with 50 million monthly active users in 2018 (KRA)
• Are Chinese electric car start-ups doomed after Tesla’s big price cuts? Tesla’s price cuts have provoked a fierce debate over the maturity of domestic EV industry – especially newcomers (SCMP)
• Asian chipmakers mount 5G challenge to Qualcomm (Nikkei)
• Transforming the manufacturing industry’s analog purchasing business with IT, the “RFQ Cloud” created by a former Keyence entrepreneur (TC)
• For Sansan, IPO is always an option, but not the focus (TIA)
• Indonesia tightens rules for online lending platforms; It’s an ongoing battle to reign in unethical P2P lending platforms (KRA)
• Oyo pledges $800m to upgrade hotels in India and China; SoftBank-backed unicorn uses enlarged war chest to bolster presence (Nikkei)
• Handling Big Tech in ASEAN: Cooperate in crafting and enforcing privacy and competition rules in digital markets (Nikkei)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• The US Government Will Be Scanning Your Face At 20 Top Airports, Documents Show; “This is opening the door to an extraordinarily more intrusive and granular level of government control.” (BFN)
• How to rein in Airbnb; The success of cities that have been able to regulate tech-enabled tourism owes to the powerful coalitions that have mobilized to challenge these data-driven platforms. (FastCo)
• Uber’s self-driving car unit was burning $20 million a month; In the run up to its IPO, court filing reveals new details of Uber’s huge spending and equally huge ambitions (TC)
• Citizen, the real-time crime alerting app, is growing in big cities (CNN)
• Zoho invests $40m in Aussie cloud push (AFR)
• How TodayTix plans to solve ‘bad behaviour’ in ticket sales (AFR)
• Mastercard and Visa Look Set to Further Disrupt the P2P Payments Landscape (Barron’s)

Life

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (12 March 2019) – Lasertec: iPhones Are Improving Every Year Thanks to an Obscure Japanese Company; Lasertec is the world’s sole maker of mask blank equipment that tests glass squares slightly bigger than a CD case that act as a stencil for chip designs + India Fights Diabetic Blindness With Help From A.I.

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (12 March 2019) – Lasertec: iPhones Are Improving Every Year Thanks to an Obscure Japanese Company; Lasertec is the world’s sole maker of mask blank equipment that tests glass squares slightly bigger than a CD case that act as a stencil for chip designs + India Fights Diabetic Blindness With Help From A.I.

Companies

• Tencent-Backed Meituan’s Losses Balloon in Duel With Alibaba (Bloomberg, Nikkei)
• Lasertec: iPhones Are Improving Every Year Thanks to an Obscure Japanese Company; Lasertec is the world’s sole maker of equipment that tests glass squares slightly bigger than a CD case that act as a stencil for chip designs. (Bloomberg)
• How Sony Sped Up A Factory With These Tiny, $35 Computers (Forbes)
• Flipping the Switch: What’s next for Nintendo? Investors are keen for the next hit console, but some are losing patience (Nikkei)
• Airtac sees strong growth as IA looks poised to pick up (TT)
• ReadyTech, set, go; first chunky IPO hits the streets; ReadyTech provides mostly cloud and SaaS-based payroll and human resource software systems. It targets the education and employment sectors (AFR)
• Appen turbocharges AI growth (AFR)

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

• Baidu’s mini programmes now have more than 150 million users (KRA)
• Baidu, Chery launch electric car with face-scanning payment, AR navigation features; A new smart version of Chery’s Exeed TX electric sports utility vehicle will run Baidu’s AI platform, DuerOS (SCMP)
• Ant Financial reportedly preparing to IPO on Shanghai tech board (Technode)
• Samsung smartphone chief: 5G jolt will revive market; Koh Dong-jin says leaps in virtual reality and AI will beckon ‘renaissance’ (Nikkei)

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

• Facebook’s pivot must be viewed with scepticism; The company has to overhaul its business model to protect user privacy (FT)
• Amazon’s Alexa has 80,000 Apps-and No Runaway Hit; The advent of the smartphone triggered an app gold rush. So far that hasn’t happened with Alexa. (Bloomberg)
• Amazon domain battle rages on as internet overseer postpones decision (Reuters)
• Amazon Investment in Yankees Network Could Threaten Sports TV Bundling (Bloomberg)
• Amazon eases price restrictions on third-party vendors; Concession comes amid growing criticism of power wielded by big tech platforms (FT)
• Alphabet’s Waymo seeks outside investors: The Information (Reuters)
• Apple sets date for next ‘show time’; The iPhone maker is expected to unveil a renewed push into news and video services (FT)
• Microsoft moves into biological computing with Platform B; Tech giant rolls out new system to analyse vast volumes of biomedical data (FT)
• Microsoft is suing Foxconn unit over unpaid royalties (Axios)
• Nvidia’s Mellanox Buy Begs the Questions: Who’s Next? (MW)
• Netflix dives deeper into anime as Disney readies streaming rival; Video giant partners with trio of Japanese producers on original content (Nikkei)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Traders Are Paying Close Attention As Farmers Become Live-Streaming Stars; Video clips on Kuaishou monitored for tips on sentiment (Bloomberg)
• China’s authorities propose to keep minors out of live streaming (TC)
• Hong Kong’s theDesk to open Shanghai project as China’s shared workspace providers shut up shop, scale back (SCMP)
• SoftBank-backed Japanese startup Uhuru considering London listing (Reuters)
• OYO China CFO: We’ll have clear models for hotel operation and profitability (KRA)
• India’s biggest news app in spotlight as elections near; Dailyhunt has 206m monthly users and a big Chinese investor (FT)
• Indonesia’s online P2P loan sharks are driving people to suicide; There’s a dark side to Jakarta’s embrace of the digital revolution: unchecked online lending services with increasingly aggressive debt-collection methods (SCMP)
• ‘Airbnb for playdates’: Motherhood app draws on Tim Fung’s expertise (Age)
• India Fights Diabetic Blindness With Help From A.I. (NYT)
• Indian invasion of Chinese social media apps like TikTok, SHAREit and Helo sparks fear and loathing in New Delhi (SCMP)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Jeffrey Katzenberg’s vision for the future of TV is snackable movies (qz)
• Quantum computing could change the way the world uses energy (qz)
• OpenAI turns itself into a for-profit enterprise; Research group backed by Peter Thiel and Reid Hoffman seeks to build ‘safe’ AI (FT)
• Farfetch to merge China sales platform with JD.com; Move aimed at improving offering in world’s largest luxury market (FT)
• Web inventor calls Tim Berners-Lee for drastic changes to the internet amid concerns over data privacy hacking, misinformation; Berners-Lee and the World Wide Web Foundation are advocating for a universal online social contract (SCMP)

Life

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (11 March 2019) – Appen to Acquire Figure Eight to Create Industry-Leading Solution for High-Quality Machine Learning Training Data + The Wisdom of Tenderness

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (11 March 2019) – Appen to Acquire Figure Eight to Create Industry-Leading Solution for High-Quality Machine Learning Training Data + The Wisdom of Tenderness

Companies

• Hedge Funds Used This Data Guru to Make Millions on Nintendo (Bloomberg)
• Airtac sees strong growth as IA looks poised to pick up (TT)
• Appen acquires Figure Eight for up to $300M, bringing two data annotation companies together (TC, AFR, CT)
• China firm buys into Securemetric; Listed on Nov 13, 2018, Securemetric focuses on software licensing protection, two-factor authentication, advanced identity and access management, public key infrastructure and cryptography. (Star)

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

• Alibaba to buy stake in parcel delivery firm STO Express for 4.6 billion yuan; Alibaba will pay US$693.3 million for a 49 per cent stake in a new unit that will control 29.9 per cent of STO (SCMP)
• Tencent Live tests live-streaming in WeChat (KRA)
• How Tencent is going from gaming to investing; Portfolio of Chinese tech company is approaching value of Softbank’s Vision Fund (FT)
• China Is Strangling Its Private Champions; By taking over the deposits of platforms like Alipay and WeChat Pay, the PBOC is making a power grab. All in the name of protecting consumers. (Bloomberg)

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

• Mark Zuckerberg says he should have listened to earlier advice about learning from WeChat (SCMP)
• Nvidia nears deal to acquire Mellanox Technologies – source (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China’s fingerprint chip king says trade war hampering acquisitions (Nikkei)
• General Atlantic, Tencent pump additional $11.4m into India’s edtech unicorn (TIA)
• GrabFood is the most used food delivery service in Vietnam, but why? The platform was late to the game in Vietnam, but that hasn’t stopped it from zipping ahead. (KRA)
• Thailand-based cashback platform RebateMango acquires competitor (KRA)
• Edtech firms are filling crucial gaps in Southeast Asia (KRA)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• ‘I’m Addicted’; Why Food-Delivery Companies Want to Create Superusers; DoorDash, Instacart and others want to turn casual customers driven by discounts into repeat users who rely on their services regularly (WSJ)
• Snapchat always proved critics wrong. Then Evan Spiegel pushed for a redesign (CNN)
• Ginni Rometty is shaping IBM’s future with a $34 billion acquisition (CNN)
• Recruitment veteran Andrew Banks backs AI start-up Shortlyster (AFR)
• Apps step up to the plate with diet and DNA-tailored advice; New online services nudge users towards smarter shopping and eating choices (FT); ‘It has exploded’: Building a wellness app business (Age)
• Tech helps small players break into healthcare market; Medical device start-ups must go far beyond proof of concept even before they have built a customer base (FT)
• Start-up nation: Are there lessons to be learned from Israel’s tech success? (SCMP)

Life

• The Wisdom of Tenderness. A philosopher and Catholic social innovator, Jean Vanier is one of the great elders in our world today. The L’Arche movement, which he founded, centers around people with mental disabilities. The dozens of L’Arche communities around the world have become places of pilgrimage and are transformative for those involved and for the world around them. He has devoted his life to the practical application of Christianity’s most paradoxical teachings — that there’s power in humility, strength in weakness, and light in the darkness of human existence. (Krista Tippett)
• The Key to Good Luck Is an Open Mind (GP)
• What Sets the Most Effective Innovators Apart (HBR)
• The platform play: How to operate like a tech company (McKinsey)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (9 March 2019) – Danawa interview with CEO Sohn Yung-hwan; Unicorns in winter: China’s formerly white-hot tech sector is in the doldrums

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (9 March 2019) – Danawa interview with CEO Sohn Yung-hwan; Unicorns in winter: China’s formerly white-hot tech sector is in the doldrums

Companies

• Overseas buying of surging Han’s Laser Technology hits 28 per cent limit on foreign ownership; MSCI responds by saying the hot company will no longer be in its basket of A-shares in its global indexes (SCMP)
• Danawa interview with CEO Sohn Yung-hwan (ETN)
• Delta Electronics acquires lighting solution brand Amerlux (Digitimes)
• For IDP Education, India is the new China (AFR)

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

• Baidu invests further in WM Motor to raise stakes in smart mobility (Technode)

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

• Facebook’s Pivot to Messaging Puts Advertisers In a Tight Spot; While marketers are very familiar with Facebook’s wide-open community, they are far less experienced with messaging apps (WSJ)
• Facebook Says It’s Evolving, So What About Its $55 Billion in Ad Sales? (Barron’s)
• Mark Zuckerberg Wants Facebook to Emulate WeChat. Can It? (NYT)
• Apple could launch augmented reality headset in 2020 (TC)
• I Want to Stop Liking Microsoft Again. Why Is It So Hard? (Barron’s)
• How Microsoft built the Hololens 2 (FT)
• Google just launched an app to teach Indian kids to read (CNN)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China’s game streaming site Panda TV confirms it will end service amid cash crisis; Panda TV still ranked as China’s No. 3 game streaming network in terms of active users at the end last year (SCMP)
• Unicorns in winter: China’s formerly white-hot tech sector is in the doldrums; Technology startups are finding it harder to attract venture capital and are shedding staff (Economist)
• Tech culture: Chinese consumers are buying cars online using VR, without kicking the proverbial tyre; Amid the recent economic slowdown more and more ordinary Chinese are turning to the second-hand car market to meet their driving needs (SCMP)
• China’s tech moguls bet on 5G to help lift economy amid increased security scrutiny in the West; Nationwide 5G capital spending forecast to range from 900 billion yuan and 1.5 trillion yuan between 2020 and 2025 (SCMP)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Wearable devices may help prevent stroke: Monash wants $100m for trials (AFR)
• The Servant Economy: Ten years after Uber inaugurated a new era for Silicon Valley, we checked back in on 105 on-demand businesses. (Atlantic); The Sharing Economy Was Always a Scam; ‘Sharing’ was supposed to save us. Instead, it became a Trojan horse for a precarious economic future. (Medium)
• Salesforce at 20 offers lessons for startup success (TC)
• Scaleway releases cloud GPU instances for €1 per hour (TC)
• With Big Stars and Paid Subscriptions, Luminary Aims to Be the Netflix of Podcasts (NYT)
• How a 250-year-old government department is digitising Indian maps using drones (qz)
• How Turning Down A Nearly $1 Billion Acquisition Deal Helped Foursquare See Its 10th Anniversary (Forbes)
• A $2,000 Phone Won’t Cure an Industry’s Midlife Crisis; Folding screens, ultra-luxe devices and 5G won’t solve the problems of the no-growth smartphone market. (Bloomberg)
• AI Researchers Are Pushing Bias Out of Algorithms; Practical ideas for ensuring that artificial intelligence is ethical and fair are gushing from inside the tech profession. (Bloomberg)

Life

• Stan Lee unleashed the heroic power of the outcast (Wired)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (8 March 2019) – RPA is shifting from ‘dumb automation’ to business value creation: Infosys + Why Wall Street is betting on business software

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (8 March 2019) – RPA is shifting from ‘dumb automation’ to business value creation: Infosys + Why Wall Street is betting on business software

Companies

• Alibaba-backed e-commerce KOL facilitator Ruhnn aims to raise $200m via US IPO (KRA)
• The end of gas-powered cars is sending this Japanese spark plug maker to the moon (qz)
• Nintendo to smartphone game makers: You can only gouge our players so much (ATN)
• Spy fears spread to power cords, driving shift from China; Taiwan server suppliers move off mainland at US customers’ request (Nikkei)
• Machine tool demand to rebound in May, says Hiwin chairman (Digitimes)
• The City of Pueblo outfits their police, fire and public works with Getac devices (PO)
• RPA is shifting from ‘dumb automation’ to business value creation: Infosys (Forbes)
• Appen 1,000+ Seat Facility in the Philippines Achieves ISO 27001 Accreditation for Secure Collection and Annotation of AI Datasets (BW)

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

• Bytedance launches external search in Jinri Toutiao, creeps into Baidu territory (Technode); Robin Li Down $2.4 Billion In A Year As Baidu Faces Tougher Competition (Forbes)
• AlipayHK gained 2 million users and 50,000 merchants its first year (Technode)

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

• Why did Facebook lose an estimated 15 million users in the past two years? (MW)
• Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook’s future and what scares him most (Wired)
• Amazon abruptly stopped buying goods from third-party sellers (qz)
• Amazon won’t spin-off Amazon Web Services (FT)
• Watch out, Alexa. Artificial voices are starting to sound just like humans (CNN)
• 8 Reasons Why Apple Won’t Buy Netflix (Medium)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Chinese AI companies brace for winter as technology and market face bottleneck (Technode)
• Bytedance planning a Slack rival for international markets (Technode)
• KFC Owner Defies China Slowdown With AI Menus and Robot Servers (Bloomberg)
• Chinese pig farms are using AI solutions to fatten profits (KRA)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Why Wall Street is betting on business software; Investors hope that fast-growing but mainly lossmaking apps can become essential office tools; ServiceNow, Atlassian, Salesforce, Shopify and Workday are among the biggest ‘software as a s service’ businesses (FT)
• Brodmann17 nabs $11M for its automotive computer vision tech that runs on any CPU (TC)
• Machine learning is helping unsigned artists make Spotify pay; Usually only artists that are already quite successful can access an advance on royalties, but Swedish startup Amuse wants to help level the playing field (Wired)
• Airbnb To Buy HotelTonight As It Pushes Deeper Into Hotel Booking Business (Forbes)
• S. Telehealth Startups Offer Cures To Healthcare Challenges (CB)
• Cloud Computing Storms Ahead (EE Times)
• Trade Desk CEO Talks Growth, Asia, and Advertising in a New Age (Barron’s)
• How Munchery’s high hopes led to its decline and fall (FastCo)
• Would you rent pillows and blankets? Rent the Runway is betting on it (FastCo)

Life

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (7 March 2019) – AI can detect distracted drivers on the road

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (7 March 2019) – AI can detect distracted drivers on the road

Companies

• Food delivered to the doorstep is not so cheap in China anymore (TC)
• Nintendo Adjusting Smartphone Games So Players Don’t Spend Too Much Money (SR)
• Getac to scale up production for automotive components (Digitimes)
• Machvision posts revenue growth in February (Digitimes)
• IRESS partners with Beneficial Life for mortgage and protection sourcing (MI, FTA)

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

• ByteDance starts commercialising its search business to challenge Baidu’s core revenue source (KRA)
• Alibaba bears are losing billions on short bets (MW)
• Can China’s superstar tech companies connect with US customers? WeChat and Alipay are growing fast but the trade war and a tech backlash may hold them back (FT)

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

• Zuckerberg says Facebook’s future is going big on private chats (Reuters)
• Apple makes over $3 every time someone subscribes to Netflix from an iPhone app (MW)
• Waymo to start selling standalone LiDAR sensors (TC); Waymo Starts Selling Sensors to Lower Cost of Self-Driving Cars; The move puts Alphabet’s autonomous-vehicle unit into competition with Velodyne for the growing lidar business. (Bloomberg)
• Google brings its Duplex AI restaurant booking assistant to 43 states (TC)
• Alexa’s new Song ID feature can announce what music is playing next (TC)
• Amazon will dominate the smart-home market next, according to this analyst (MW)
• Netflix & Plex: A Story About Understanding Disruption in Business (LinkedIn)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Edtech firm Hujiang lays off unknown number of employees (Technode)
• Sogou hints at going public in China, but offers no timetable (KRA)
• Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng finds lessons in ping pong challenge for his upcoming battle with Tesla (SCMP)
• Chinese Millennials Are Clicking Up a Storm Buying Asian Property Online (Bloomberg)
• State-backed rivals muscle in on China tech start-ups; Introduction of fresh competition is part of efforts to curb ride-hailing and P2P sectors (FT)
• The Largest Index in Asia Has a Unique Quality: Taking Stock (Bloomberg)
• China Government Advisers Worry About AI Taking Over Jobs (Bloomberg)
• Smartisan-backed Chinese messaging app that aimed to dethrone WeChat bites the bullet; While the app enjoyed a meteoric rise in its early days, Liaotianbao has struggled to keep users on its platform (SCMP)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Fictiv raises $33M to be the ‘AWS of hardware manufacturing’ (TC)
• Music services company Kobalt is raising a big round that could exceed $100 million (TC)
• Clari platform aims to unify go-to-market operations data (TC)
• Fitbit CEO James Park talks lessons learned from the company’s struggles; The exec discusses past pitfalls and the future of wearables (TC); Fitbit Stock Is Rising as It Announces Its Cheapest Smartwatch Yet (Barron’s)
• Can Uber Ever Deliver? Part Eighteen: Lyft’s IPO Prospectus Tells Investors That It Has No Idea How Ridesharing Could Ever Be Profitable (NC); Why Uber may buy its big rival in the Middle East (CNN); Uber’s Flash quickly loses lustre in Hong Kong (KRA); A Favorite Lyft Metric Is Messy; The company stresses revenue as a share of the total value of rides, but it has problems. (Bloomberg)
• Dialog Semi eyes opportunities in connected health, gaming: CEO (Reuters); Dialog Semi, smaller after Apple deal, targets new growth areas (Reuters)
• Mobile Ads Do More Work in One Second Than You Might Think; Industry standards for ‘ad viewability’ overshadow what happens in the blink of an eye (WSJ)
• SurveyMonkey parent acquires Usabilla in bid to better compete against Qualtrics (MW)
• Sell VMware Stock on Rising Risk From New Technology, Goldman Says (Barron’s)
• How Many Streaming Subscribers Can Disney+ Get? More Than Netflix Has, Analyst Says (Barron’s)
• More New Streaming Services Should Lift Roku, Analyst Writes (Barron’s)
• Just Eat to ramp up expansion of delivery business to fend off rivals; Food marketplace under increasing pressure from competitors outside the US; Just Eat has come under mounting pressure from Uber Eats and Deliveroo (FT)
• Beige Book Shocker: “Semiconductor Orders From China Plunged The Most Since The Collapse Of Lehman” (ZH)
• Edge Intelligence Grabs the Spotlight at Embedded World (EET)
• Why podcast fans will always reject a “Netflix for podcasts”; The golden age of podcasting may end behind a paywall. (FastCo)
• AI can detect distracted drivers on the road (ZH)

Life

• Pure Downside, No Silver Lining (MH)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (6 March 2019) – It’s time SGX and sponsors get tougher with firms looking to list; The lack of scrutiny has let through companies with questionable business models. Companies with poor business models are more likely to turn to fraud to generate results

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (6 March 2019) – It’s time SGX and sponsors get tougher with firms looking to list; The lack of scrutiny has let through companies with questionable business models. Companies with poor business models are more likely to turn to fraud to generate results

Companies

• Nio’s right place, right time may be short-lived (Reuters)
• Loss-making Livestreaming platform Huya’s ‘rich content’ powers user, revenue growth in 2018 (Technode)
• Qutoutiao stock drops 10% after earnings show larger losses (MW)
• Kakao to launch e-bike sharing service on March 6 (Investor)
• Tencent-Backed Sea Raises $1.35 Billion in Share Sale (Bloomberg)
• Iress to launch mortgage client portal (FTA)

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

• Alibaba’s AI-powered smart mirror grants beauty wishes on command (Technode)

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

• IDC: Apple led wearables market in 2018, with 46.2M of the total 172.2M devices shipped (TC)
• Microsoft Unveils Azure Sentinel Cloud Security Program; Company also discloses large state-sponsored hack on financial services firms (Bloomberg)
• Microsoft/cloud computing: the Jedi order; Pentagon deal would transform PC group but expanding its cloud business doesn’t depend on it (FT)
• Alphabet’s Investment in Care.com Stock Is Doing Better Than Its Own Stock (Barron’s)
• How Amazon’s algorithms curated a dystopian bookstore (Wired)
• Amazon Gives AI to Harvard Hospital in Tech’s Latest Health Push (Bloomberg)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• TikTok’s rise is a test for social media regulation; China’s first foreign hit shares Silicon Valley’s lax attitude to privacy (FT)
• Propaganda 2.0: Chinese Communist Party’s message gets tech upgrade (Reuters)
• From ‘third arms’ to talking walkers, Panasonic ramps up ties with Japan academia on human-help robots (JT)
• Japan’s Itochu invests in Singapore operator of doctor-focused social networking service (JT)
• Fallen tech darling Appster trading while insolvent since 2017, report finds (Age)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Angry Birds Developer Seeks Backers for Its ‘Netflix of Games’ Service (Bloomberg)
• Tesla’s ‘Un-IPhone Moment’ Shows It Can’t Be the Apple of Autos (Bloomberg); How much does Tesla have in the bank? (FT)
• AI Efforts at Large Companies May Be Hindered by Poor Quality Data; Executives surveyed by PwC said cleaning up their data would lead to big cost savings and revenue gains (WSJ)
• Shift Technology raises $60 million to detect insurance fraud (TC)
• Salesforce releases myTrailhead, a customizable training platform (TC); Salesforce.com Co-CEO Says Company Has ‘a Lot of Runway’; 85% of its enterprise customers are just starting to make a digital transformation in the cloud era. (Barron’s); US tech giant Salesforce creates a $50m Australian VC fund to back start-ups (AFR)
• SurveyMonkey acquires web survey company Usabilla for $80M (TC)
• FT acquires majority stake in The Next Web; Deal for events and media company allows UK group to raise its game in Europe tech sector (FT)
• Abu Dhabi startup is using AI to transform how kids learn (CNN)
• Video gamers v couch potatoes; Business has a lot to learn from trigger-happy teens in their bedrooms (Economist)
• Tuning Into This Year’s Podcast Investment (CB)
• Online boom delivers big returns for central European warehouses (Reuters)

Life

• TED Podcast ‘WorkLife With Adam Grant’ Returns With Second Season in first episode The Creative Power Of Misfits (Forbes)
• It’s time SGX and sponsors get tougher with firms looking to list; The lack of scrutiny has let through companies with questionable business models. Companies with poor business models are more likely to turn to fraud to generate results (BT)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (5 March 2019) – The AI Cameras That Can Spot Shoplifters Even Before They Steal

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (5 March 2019) – The AI Cameras That Can Spot Shoplifters Even Before They Steal

Companies

• China’s YY eyes overseas live streaming with $1.45B Bigo buyout (TC)
• China’s Music Scene Is Booming, But Labels Risk Getting Left Behind; Musicians are striking agreements with tech giants like NetEase, rather than traditional record companies (Bloomberg)
• The Social-Media Crackdown China Needs; An explosion of fake accounts and pseudo-influencers threatens e-commerce, not to mention trust among consumers. (Bloomberg)
• Trend Micro and Japan’s NISC sign collaboration agreement (EI)
• ReadyTech prepares to front fund managers, revives IPO; ReadyTech’s SaaS software is used by more than 3700 customers (AFR)
• As software bots get more complex, only a multi-talented workforce will thrive: Wipro COO (Forbes)
• Zomato to sell UAE food delivery business for $172 million (Reuters)

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

• Office Depot and Alibaba team up to tap small and medium businesses (Reuters)
• Tencent eyes more esports competitions in China; Top gaming group sees strategy to extend games’ lifespan (FT)

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

• How Amazon taught the echo auto to hear you in a noisy car (Wired)
• How Google Moved Beyond Search to Reinvent Productivity with G Suite (UF)
• Google, Facebook Stock May Rise Even Higher on Online Ads (Barron’s)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Hillhouse, Temasek, GGV and others may lose hundreds of millions of dollars as Chinese startup Iwjw collapses (TN)
• China’s Biotech Investors Have Caught a Chill (Bloomberg)
• Chinese tech scene hit by job cuts as austerity bites; Thousands of positions disappear, along with employee perks, as companies trim costs (FT)
• China’s TikTok passes 1bn global downloads; Short video app is first Chinese social media phenomenon to go global (FT)
• Singapore Is About to Trial Full-Size Driverless Buses (Bloomberg)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• The AI Cameras That Can Spot Shoplifters Even Before They Steal (Bloomberg)
• 40% of Europe’s artificial intelligence start-ups have no AI; Survey highlights hype around the technology that attracts larger funding than other software (FT)
• Deepmind teaches AI to follow navigational directions like humans (TNW)
• Adobe Sets Its Sights on Marketing Technology (Morningstar)
• Taboola Makes Acquisition to Bolster Its Take on Apple News; Deal will put Taboola recommendations on more Android phones’ lock screens (WSJ)
• It’s Lyft With a Y, and a Why (Bloomberg); Lyft’s Creators Used to Hand Out Flyers in Animal Costumes. Soon They’ll Ring the Nasdaq (Bloomberg)
• The Secret to Spotify’s Success; Its popular service, which grew virally, is free to the majority of users but still turns a profit. (Entrepreneur)
• Check Point, SailPoint and Varonis should see solid returns in 2019 because the three companies should benefit the most from increased security spending. (Barron’s)
• How robots and holograms are bringing online learning to life; Business schools use technology to boost engagement among students who learn remotely (FT)

Life

• The allure of financial trickery is fading (AFR)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (2 March 2019) – Designing with, not for manufacturing; Altium 365 cloud-based platform looks to make collaboration between designers, suppliers and manufacturers easier + Death of the defensive stocks will reshape investor portfolios

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (2 March 2019) – Designing with, not for manufacturing; Altium 365 cloud-based platform looks to make collaboration between designers, suppliers and manufacturers easier + Death of the defensive stocks will reshape investor portfolios

Companies

• The Netflix of China Might Just Be Wishful Thinking (Barron’s)
• China Animation Appetite Draws Pioneers Back to Bilibili Board (Bloomberg)
• AI may solve Meituan’s offline headaches (Technode)
• KKR, China’s Tencent Music eyeing bids for Universal Music – sources (Reuters)
• Tokyo Electron Sees Potential Mid-Year Chip Rebound (Bloomberg)
• Trend Micro signs agreement with NISC to share threat information (TO)
• Bandai Namco Holdings Outlines Company’s April Reorganization (ANN)
• Zuken Introduces New Solution for 3D Harness Design Optimization (iconnect)
• Designing with, not for manufacturing; Altium 365 cloud-based platform looks to make collaboration between designers, suppliers and manufacturers easier. (NE)

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

• Alipay teams up with Canadian cross-border payment firm SnapPay to expand mobile payment reach (Technode)
• Alibaba lets Chinese tourists preorder Japan shopping sprees; Partnership with Laox offers duty-free service as visitor spending tops out (Nikkei)

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

• Facebook says that Workplace now has 2M paying users (TC)
• Cook Says Apple Is ‘Rolling the Dice’ on Future Products (Bloomberg)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Ride hailing platforms under spotlight as China’s transport watchdog slams ‘one sided’ pursuit of traffic, subsidies to achieve growth (Star)
• China Finalizes Rules for New Technology Exchange in Shanghai (Bloomberg)
• After picking up $1.5b from SoftBank, Chinese car trading site Chehaoduo says it’ll spend $300m on advertising; After the fundraising, Chehaoduo will be valued above $9 billion. (KRA)
• Legaltech and the law: How tech will change the practice (BT)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Cybersecurity companies look to artificial intelligence as they struggle to find human workers (MW)
• E-Commerce Success Is Killing The Economics Of Cheap Home Delivery (Forbes)
• Lyft IPO to test investor appetite for founder-controlled tech companies (CNN); Lyft’s IPO filing shows surging revenue, widening losses (Reuters); How Do Lyft and Uber Help Insure Its Millions of Drivers? Build Their Own Insurance Companies (Bloomberg); Lyft Confirms What We Know and What We Don’t; How big is the market for ride-hailing services? How great is the true demand? The answers are elusive. (Bloomberg); Lyft Touts Growth to IPO Investors as Losses Near $1 Billion (Bloomberg); Lyft’s Risk Factors Are the Stuff of IPO Dreams — Bad Ones (Bloomberg)
• “We have a new era, driven by one major trend, which we wrongly call AI-artificial intelligence. I like to call it artificial stupidity.” (Barron’s)
• The New Foldable Phones Could Be the Next Big Thing (Barron’s)
• The future of sports: How Adidas uses technology to stay ahead (FastCo)

Life

• Death of the defensive stocks will reshape investor portfolios (AFR)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (1 March 2019) – “If one knew but one-half the difficulties an artist has to surmount. the public would be less ready to censure him for his shortcomings or slow advancement. The only remedy I know is patience with perseverance, and these are always sure, with a real honest love for art, to produce something.”

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (1 March 2019) – “If one knew but one-half the difficulties an artist has to surmount. the public would be less ready to censure him for his shortcomings or slow advancement. The only remedy I know is patience with perseverance, and these are always sure, with a real honest love for art, to produce something.”

Companies

• China’s iFlytek net profits up 21.62 pct in 2018 (XHN)
• Anime site Bilibili quadrupled monthly paying users in 2018 (Technode)
• 360 Finance plans to take on Pinduoduo with foray into social e-commerce (Technode)
• NetEase said to start large scale layoffs to “optimise business” (KRA)
• Amazon, Comcast, EA join list of Nexon bidders (Investor); Nexon Shorts Build Up Massive $422 Million Bet Against Buyout (Bloomberg)
• A Billionaire Forged in Free Fire, the Fortnite of Singapore; Even though last year’s net loss widened to $961 million, investors are betting that Sea’s costly expansion into e-commerce will complement its gaming arm (Bloomberg)

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

• Tencent said to be considering partial acquisition of Universal Music Group (KRA)

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

• Apple shipped 9.2M Apple Watch units in Q4 2018 to capture half of market (AI); Apple’s Aetna deal hints at the future of health-and the Apple Watch (FastCo)
• Amazon thinks AI will help solve its counterfeits problem (CNN); Amazon unveils self-service tool for brands to take down counterfeit listings; Amazon unveils Project Zero that gives brands a self-service tool to take down counterfeit listings (SCMP)
• Why this $42b fund manager has given up on Amazon; “When you look at their core US e-commerce business, which is the vast majority of their revenues, we’ve seen, for about seven or eight quarters, a deceleration in that growth.” (AFR)
• How Netflix Nearly Lost Its Footing During the Recession and What It Did to Recover (Medium)
• Inside the secretly effective-and underrated-way Netflix keeps its shows and movies at the forefront of pop culture (FastCo)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Robots are taking over China’s food service industry, and making it better (TN)
• How Huawei’s Foldable Mate X Can Be Apple’s Nightmare In China (Forbes)
• Chinese Car Sales Startup Chehaoduo Raises $1.5B From The SoftBank Vision Fund (CB)
• OLED will go mainstream and surpass LCD displays: LGD CTO (Investor)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Forget the FAANGs. Pay Attention to the Highflying PUTINs. (Bloomberg)
• Mirakl raises $70 million to manage the marketplace of your e-commerce website (TC)
• ClassDojo, an app to help teachers and parents communicate better, raises $35M (TC)
• Monk’s Hill portfolio company ELSA raises US$7 million Series A; ELSA uses artificial intelligence to hear mistakes in pronunciation and offer very specific corrections (e27)
• Stop limiting quantum computing to speed (TC)
• Disney Is Reportedly Eyeing AT&T’s Stake in Hulu as a Dizzying M&A Run for Media Continues (Barron’s)
• Emerson is larger in the “process automation” arena. Rockwell instead relies more on “discrete automation,” meaning its products are used to automate individual factory processes-like integrating a new robot in an car factory to install windshields (Barron’s)
• Workday Stock Is Rising Because Subscriptions Keep Rolling In (Barron’s)
• Regulatory showdown awaits for Big Tech – but who gets the job? Pressure is growing on both sides of the Atlantic for giants’ dominance to be curbed (FT)
• Dell returns to public markets with inscrutable numbers (MW)
• Spotify takes next step towards world domination as it enters India (AFR)
• Online shopping algorithms are colluding to keep prices high; new algorithmic pricing programmes are becoming far more sophisticated than the original revenue management systems because of developments in artificial intelligence (AFR)
• Chip Roadmap Looks Dark, Bumpy; Resists under pressure to deliver fine features (EE Times)
• Zūm Raises $40M To Help Schools Save Money On Transportation (CB)
• Tesla closing retail stores in shift to online-only sales strategy (TC)
• Can ride-pooling service Via catch up to Uber and Lyft by being the friendly alternative? (FastCo)
• E-Commerce Holdout Marshalls Is Finally Embracing the Internet (Bloomberg)

Life

• “If one knew but one-half the difficulties an artist has to surmount. the public would be less ready to censure him for his shortcomings or slow advancement. The only remedy I know is patience with perseverance, and these are always sure, with a real honest love for art, to produce something.” (BP)
• The Perils of Investing Idol Worship: The Kraft Heinz Lessons! (Damodaran)
• Aligning Business Models to Markets (KC)
• Will accountants become the weavers of the 21st century? (AT)
• Status as a Service (StaaS) (EW)
• Why Visionary Leadership Fails (HBR)
• The Nature of Technology: What it is and How it Evolves by Brian Arthur (Blas)
• How to pick technology winners; Some of today’s innovations will become as prevalent as smartphones. Others, such as jet packs, won’t take off. Three factors can help you tell which are likely to succeed. (SB)
• Podcast #486: How to Get Better at Making Life-Changing Decisions (AOM)