H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (11 May 2019) – Secret of sensor giant Keyence’s super-high margin + Japan’s Google-backed AI pioneer plots a quantum leap; Analyzing retail data only scratches the surface of Abeja’s ambitions

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (11 May 2019) – Secret of sensor giant Keyence’s super-high margin + Japan’s Google-backed AI pioneer plots a quantum leap; Analyzing retail data only scratches the surface of Abeja’s ambitions

Companies

• Zoom and Its Profits Face Analyst Scrutiny After 121% Rally (Bloomberg)
• Momo will temporarily suspend the ability of users to post social newsfeeds on its platform between May 11, 2019 and June 11, 2019 and undertake other self-inspection measures pursuant to directives of relevant government authority (PRNW)
• Secret of sensor giant Keyence’s super-high margin (Nikkei)
• Delta Electronics plans to hire 7,000 employees over next 3-5 years (FT)
• Meet The Asian E-Commerce Head Who’s Expanding Globally, But Not In China (Forbes)
• Life360 passes first day of ASX litmus test (AFR)

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

• SoftBank hedges bet on mobile with Yahoo deal (Nikkei); SoftBank/Vision Fund: Uberoptimistic Group remains reliant on the mature and fiercely competitive telecoms industry (FT)

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

• In the World of Dating, All-Powerful Facebook Is Now the Underdog (Barron’s)
• Nest, the company, died at Google I/O 2019 (ARST)
• Netflix Signs Deal With Alibaba to Add Chinese-Language TV Show (Bloomberg)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China’s Electric-Car Mania Draws Parallels to the Dot-Com Bubble (Bloomberg)
• TikTok Is the New Music Kingmaker, and Labels Want to Get Paid; They’re seeking a better deal after they missed the rise of the social video platform and sold music rights for a flat fee. (Bloomberg)
• In China, Even Healthcare for All Isn’t Enough; As the country tries to expand private insurance, its tech companies should lead the way. (Bloomberg)
• Social selling startup Beidian raises RMB 860 million, challenges Pinduoduo (TN)
• Shakeout looms for China’s electric car market, as 80 per cent of start-ups predicted to go under; Only 20 to 30 electric vehicle makers may survive, says Beijing Electric Vehicle Co senior executive (SCMP)
• Japan’s Google-backed AI pioneer plots a quantum leap; Analyzing retail data only scratches the surface of Abeja’s ambitions (Nikkei)
• Japan’s ‘information banks’ to let users cash in on personal data (Nikkei)
• Panasonic sets $9bn sales target at new China-focused segment; Electronics maker eyes innovation hub for connected appliances (Nikkei)
• JG Summit to pump $50m into Southeast Asian startups (Nikkei)
• Ovo, Grab’s mobile wallet in Indonesia, introduces ‘pay later’ feature (KRA)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Zillow’s future vision ramping up fast, and it’s good news for homebuyers & sellers (TBP)
• Silicon Valley will soon get its own stock exchange (qz)
• Lyft’s revenues double, losses quintuple-and prospects darken; The same is likely to be true of Uber when it lists. Only more so (Economist); Uber IPO: the long ride to profitability; The billions raised from the listing will help its strategy, but how much longer can it continue without making a profit? (FT); As Uber goes public, the fight against its broken business model continues (ET); Uber’s dull thud may startle unicorn herd (Reuters)
• American pay-television is in decline; This will have far-reaching consequences for the industry (Economist)
• How real-estate barons have ridden the tech boom; Digitisation has created unlikely winners: real-estate barons (Economist)
• WeWork’s starry valuation dazzles landlords, reaffirms doubters (Reuters)
• Jumia falls sharply after Citron claims fraud; Africa-focused ecommerce site targeted by short seller (FT); Wall Street’s Silence Is Deafening as Citron Takes Aim at the Amazon of Africa (Bloomberg)
• Marvell Doubles Down on Automotive Ethernet (EET)
• Artificial Intelligence Detects IEDs at Military X-Ray Checkpoints (EET)
• After Delivering 5,000% Share Jump, Ambu CEO Makes a Sudden Exit (Bloomberg)
• Game Development Platform Unity Raising Funding at $6 Billion Valuation (Bloomberg)

Life

• ‘Relentless focus kept me going’: Achal Bakeri, Chairman and MD of Symphony (HBL)
• The Empty Promise of Data Moats (a16z)