H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (2 April 2019) – No escape? Chinese VIP jail puts AI monitors in every cell ‘to make prison breaks impossible’; Minority Report-style crime prevention with artificial intelligence is fast becoming reality; The Outlandish Story Of Ollie’s: A $5 Billion Retail Empire That Sells Nothing Online (But Is Beating Amazon)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (2 April 2019) – No escape? Chinese VIP jail puts AI monitors in every cell ‘to make prison breaks impossible’; Minority Report-style crime prevention with artificial intelligence is fast becoming reality; The Outlandish Story Of Ollie’s: A $5 Billion Retail Empire That Sells Nothing Online (But Is Beating Amazon)

Companies

• Thunisoft – No escape? Chinese VIP jail puts AI monitors in every cell ‘to make prison breaks impossible’ (SCMP)
• Saudi Telecom Company Solutions to utilize Trend Micro products under its cloud offerings (SG)
• Nexon/Tencent/Bain: no stroll in the park; The price of acquiring NXC’s video gaming business could reach as high as $14bn (FT)
• Delta acquires Amerlux, enhances its IoT-based solutions for smart cities (EENE)

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

• Tencent Holdings to buy back 10 per cent of shares to shore up stock price (SCMP)
• As Facebook looks to WeChat, China’s digital world is wowing the West, and globalisation is no longer a one-way street (SCMP)

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

• Artificial Intelligence Should Boost Amazon Stock, Analyst Says (Barron’s)
• Alphabet and Apple take divergent paths in health; Drug companies bet technology can revolutionise the $65bn market for clinical trials (FT)
• When it comes to disclosing sponsors, your Google Assistant may be mute (Reuters)
• Unfazed by trade war, Google collaborates with Huawei on health care AI initiative; Huawei’s new Track AI product for diagnosing eye conditions was built with Google’s TensorFlow software (SCMP)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Startups power Shenzhen’s rise as high-tech hub; City produces more than half of China’s international patent filings (Nikkei)
• Digital Manufacturing Has A China Dilemma (Forbes)
• China drone maker EHang delays IPO plan, eyes private funding: sources (Reuters)
• How Japan’s Aging Society Paves The Way For The Era Of Digital Health Care (Forbes)
• EV battery sector emerges as S. Korea’s new growth engine (Investor)
• Jio Health combines online and offline healthcare in Southeast Asia, starting in Vietnam (TC)
• Now Zomato users can order from Bulandshahr, Rewari, Gurdaspur, others as food delivery expands to 213 cities (FE)
• Brisbane startup Explorate wants to become the shipping industry’s answer to Webjet (CM)
• S. family tracking app Life360 seeks investors for Australia IPO (Reuters)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Minority Report-style crime prevention with artificial intelligence is fast becoming reality (SCMP)
• On-Demand Startups Are Hemorrhaging Tens of Billions a Year (Bloomberg)
• SambaNova Systems, A Startup In The Hot AI Hardware Space, Scores $150 Million Investment From Intel And Alphabet (Forbes)
• Schwab Subscription Move Could Change the Game (MW)
• Why New Technologies Take Decades to Change the Economy (Barron’s)
• Financial Times reaches a million paying readers (Reuters)
• Profit questions throw Lyft shares into reverse; Car-booking group’s stock falls nearly 12% to drop below Friday’s listing (FT)
• How Disney grew its $3 billion Mickey Mouse business-by selling to adults (FastCo)
• Airbnb to invest $100-200 million in India’s OYO – source (Reuters)

Life

• The Shadow Side of Greatness (JC)
• The Outlandish Story Of Ollie’s: A $5 Billion Retail Empire That Sells Nothing Online (But Is Beating Amazon) (Forbes)
• A Convenient Fortune: Soaring Stock Of Circle K’s Parent Company Creates New Billionaire (Forbes)