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H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (20 October 2018) – Innodisk forming alliance with subsidiaries, partners to tap AIoT opportunities + The Formula: The Universal Laws of Success by Albert-László Barabási

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (20 October 2018) – Innodisk forming alliance with subsidiaries, partners to tap AIoT opportunities + The Formula: The Universal Laws of Success by Albert-László Barabási

Companies

• Innodisk forming alliance with subsidiaries, partners to tap AIoT opportunities (Digitimes)

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

• Tencent plays hard catch-up with Tik Tok, launching yet another short video app (KRA)
• Alibaba pledges ‘largest ever’ Singles’ Day as shopping festival marks 10th anniversary, goes international (SCMP)

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

• Jony Ive on the Apple Watch and Big Tech’s responsibilities; Apple’s chief design officer on Steve Jobs, the $5bn new campus — and why the unforeseen consequences of tech keep him awake (FT)
• The quality of quantity at Netflix (FT)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• A closer look at China’s current community group buy fad; A new methodology to handle the high costs associated with perishable goods delivery (KRA)
• Postman, shopper, builder: In Japan, there’s a robot for that (Japan Times)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Why Disney Can Be a New-Media Powerhouse (Barron’s)
• A New Way to Rank the Risks of the Big Tech Stocks (Barron’s)
• Serverless Computing’s Innovative Approach to Software Development (WSJ)

Life

• The Formula: The Universal Laws of Success Hardcover – November 6, 2018 (Amazon)
• How we think about digital moat sources and threats (Todd Wenning, PDF)
• This is The Only Viable Strategy to Build an Audience for Your Work (Medium)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (19 October 2018) – CyberAgent Establishes CAAnimation Label for Original Anime + Bill Gates: How Paul Allen Changed My Life

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (19 October 2018) – CyberAgent Establishes CAAnimation Label for Original Anime + Bill Gates: How Paul Allen Changed My Life

Companies

• CyberAgent Establishes CAAnimation Label for Original Anime (ANN)
• Murata expects ceramic parts shortages to last another 2 years (Reuters); Kyocera, Murata reportedly to expand MLCC production capacities (Digitimes)
• Line makes a big new push to turn Japan cashless (TIA); Japan’s Line invests in Thai startup for the first time (Nikkei)
• China’s One-Time Richest Woman Becomes Biggest Loser in Wealth Rout; Lens Technology’s Zhou Qunfei loses 66% of fortune this year (Bloomberg)
• China Electric Scooter Maker Raises $63 Million in Downsized IPO (Bloomberg)
• China Post’s Sichuan arm partners with e-commerce platform Pinduoduo (Technode); Meituan challenges Pinduoduo with group deal mini-program (Technode)

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

• Meet the 18 original founders of Alibaba (e27); Cute or cult? Inside Alibaba’s curious nickname culture (Technode)
• Alibaba uncorks $290 million deal with stake purchase in wine e-tailer 1919.cn (Reuters)
• Tencent to bring WeChat and mini programs to autonomous driving (Technode, TIA)
• Struggling Tencent seeks to heal internal rifts; Once China’s most valuable company, tech giant hopes reboot ends fragmented culture (FT)
• Apple IPhone Helps Give TSMC an Instant Hit; Its latest chipmaking technology has had one of the fastest uptakes in recent history. (Bloomberg); TSMC’s Troubles Piling Up Show Risk for Global Tech; Keep an eye on inventory levels at electronics makers as this earnings season (Bloomberg); Apple chip maker TSMC’s sales outlook disappoints as global smartphone, cryptocurrency mining demand stalls (SCMP); TSMC to Remain Sole iPhone Chip Supplier, Could Provide ARM-Based Chips for Mac in 2020, Apple Car Chips in 2023 (MR)

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

• Amazon Wants India to Shop Online, and It’s Battling Walmart for Supremacy (Bloomberg)
• Netflix and Amazon Leave Little Room for Streaming Video Latecomers (Bloomberg); After Uber, Netflix May Be Next to Tap Starved Junk Market (Bloomberg); Netflix needs lower prices to woo India (Reuters); Netflix’s pricing power (II)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China’s ByteDance is taking the social media world by storm (CNN)
• Hong Kong sweeteners fail to lure Chinese tech listings; Start-ups put off by HKEX’s lengthy IPO vetting procedures and stricter scrutiny (FT)
• Ucommune makes fifth acquisition this year as it seeks to battle co-working space rival WeWork in China (SCMP)
• Small China e-commerce firms to be hit hard by US withdrawal from Universal Postal Union (SCMP)
• Myanmar’s new e-book app cracks unopened market; Top telecom MPT sees opportunity in country’s bookstore shortage (Nikkei)
• India’s Oyo aims to disrupt global hotel industry; Born entrepreneur brings high tech hospitality to budget business (Nikkei); SoftBank-backed budget hotel aggregator OYO to invest US$100M in Indonesia (e27)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Collaboration software company Atlassian is targeting growth from its core user base of IT teams, envisioning a future in which developers are on call 24/7 to handle tech outages. (AFR)
• Rent the Runway and WeWork’s deal encourages you to wear rented clothes at your rented desk (qz)
• Planned IPO will test the value of Uber’s network; With its army of human drivers, the group should be best placed to bring in new tech (FT)
• SAP: partly cloudy; Business transitions require patience (FT)
• WeWork targets Japanese big business in aggressive expansion; Push comes as large groups try to adapt to digital era with flexible work spaces; WeWork believes Japan can become one of its core international growth markets (FT)
• Can Sonos beat back the tech giants? An American maker of high-end wireless speakers battles Google and Amazon (Economist)
• Building a Smart Robot for Seniors; Danielle Ishak left Alphabet’s X in search of a home assistant the elderly might actually want. (Bloomberg)
• Square Unveils ‘Terminal’ to Rival Keypad Credit-Card Machines (Bloomberg)
• Micron to buy Intel’s stake in joint venture IM Flash Technologies (Reuters)
• De Beers eyes tech markets for synthetic diamonds future (Reuters)
• CIS demand from handset, automotive sectors set to boom in 2019 (Digitimes)
• Arm’s Neoverse will be the infrastructure for a trillion intelligent devices (VB)
• Introducing Vehicle 2.0 (Forbes)
• WarnerMedia to Launch Direct to Consumer Streaming Service in Late 2019 (Variety)

Life

• Bill Gates: How Paul Allen Changed My Life (WSJ)
• Podcast #450: How to Make Time for What Really Matters Every Day (AOM)
• Man Who Bared `Enigma Network’ Has New Hong Kong Stock Alert (Bloomberg); The Huarong-CMB network: 26 stocks not to own (Webb); Huarong and China Singyes Solar Technologies (0750) (Webb); Three missing chairmen among top 10 most wanted fraud suspects in Hong Kong (SCMP)
• Elizabeth Gilbert on Love, Loss, and How to Move Through Grief as Grief Moves Through You (BP)
• How To Have More Energy: 3 Powerful Secrets From Research (Eric Barker)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (18 October 2018) – Innodisk breaks into NBAA-BACE to exhibit the most reliable and secured industrial storage and memory innovations for the aviation industry along with its proprietary software solutions + Nicole Krauss’s Beautiful Letter to Van Gogh on Fear, Bravery, and How to Break the Loop of Our Destructive Patterns

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (18 October 2018) – Innodisk breaks into NBAA-BACE to exhibit the most reliable and secured industrial storage and memory innovations for the aviation industry along with its proprietary software solutions + Nicole Krauss’s Beautiful Letter to Van Gogh on Fear, Bravery, and How to Break the Loop of Our Destructive Patterns

Companies

• Bridgestone to Transfer “PureBeta” Ultra High Purity Fine Ceramics SiC Component Operations to Maruwa (EIN)
• Ventureast strikes gold as Japan’s istyle backs content startup Incnut (VCC)
• Innodisk breaks into NBAA-BACE to exhibit the most reliable and secured industrial storage and memory innovations for the aviation industry along with its proprietary software solutions. (PRNW)

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

• Samsung buys Spanish networks analysis firm in 5G push; Purchase of Zhilabs is part of a 3-year $22bn investment drive into new technologies; Samsung says automation based on artificial intelligence will play a key role in the introduction of new (FT)
• SoftBank voices doubts over second Vision Fund; Geopolitical risk around Khashoggi affair exacerbates concern over Son strategy (FT)

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

• Finance makes Apple and Google forced friends (Reuters)
• Raised by YouTube: The platform’s entertainment for children is weirder—and more globalized—than adults could have expected. (Atlantic)
• Netflix: sub bubble; Streaming group’s ‘happy ending’ could yet prove just another plot twist (FT); Netflix Considers Cheaper Prices to Chase Boom in India Viewers (Bloomberg); Bill Nygren: Netflix Is a Value Stock (GF)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China Tech IPOs Face a Wall Street Check-Up (Bloomberg)
• Inside India’s E-Commerce Battle Royale (Bloomberg)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Cree’s Strength Makes Short-Sellers’ Worst Dreams Come True (Bloomberg)
• Self-taught musicians hit the high notes on app-connected digital keyboards and string instruments (SCMP)
• Spotify takes minor stake in music distributor DistroKid (Reuters)

Life

• Nicole Krauss’s Beautiful Letter to Van Gogh on Fear, Bravery, and How to Break the Loop of Our Destructive Patterns (BP)
• Finding the Meaning Of Life In Suffering; suffering will always pursue us because we are pursuing a meaningful life. “To love is to suffer and there can be no love otherwise.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky (Medium)
• Haste Makes Waste (Morgan Housel)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (17 October 2018) – As interest rates rise, the venture-capital model pioneered by SoftBank and followed by the likes of Tencent is breaking down + The Woman They Turned Away who created many of technologies that we use on a daily basis

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (17 October 2018) – As interest rates rise, the venture-capital model pioneered by SoftBank and followed by the likes of Tencent is breaking down + The Woman They Turned Away who created many of technologies that we use on a daily basis

Companies

• Chipmaker spending cuts hurt equipment supplier Disco (Nikkei)
• Hamamatsu develops bright supercontinuum source; Japanese photonics giant delivers stable source equivalent to xenon lamps; allows high-precision measurements. (Optics)
• WiseTech buys Sydney company SmartFreight for $55 million (AFR)

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

• Asia’s Technology Bear Isn’t Ready to Hibernate; As interest rates rise, the venture-capital model pioneered by SoftBank and followed by the likes of Tencent is breaking down. (Bloomberg)
• Singapore e-wallet NetsPay in talks with Tencent’s WeChat Pay for cross-border payments (SCMP); WeChat Pay, China’s Popular Payment Tool, Lands in U.S. (Barron’s)
• Samsung Electronics buys network analysis firm Zhilabs in 5G push (Reuters)
• Softbank pushes link-ups as insurance strategy takes shape (Reuters)

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

• Facebook Accused of Hiding Inflated Ad Metrics Back in 2015 (Bloomberg)
• Amazon Doles Out Freebies to Juice Sales of Its Own Brands; Critics say some customer reviews disadvantage third-party merchants and could displease European regulators. (Bloomberg)
• Amazon likely to buy 7-8 percent stake in India’s Future Retail – TV (Reuters)
• Amazon’s Next Stop May Be Brazil Drugstores, Morgan Stanley Says (Bloomberg)
• Netflix Soars After Blistering Subscriber Growth Restores Faith (Bloomberg); Netflix Spoiled Us Rotten; Consumers don’t want ads and don’t want to pay up for TV. (Bloomberg); Netflix is online video’s Walmart, and its Tiffany (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• IT leasing and corporate SaaS platform Edianzu scored USD 60 million Series D funding; In China, IT equipment leasing service has a market penetration of only 4.9%. (KRA)
• China’s Huawei Takes Aim at Qualcomm, Nvidia With New AI Chips (Bloomberg)
• Chinese electric car makers, nurtured by state, now look for way out of glut (Reuters)
• China’s P2P lenders say regulation will cause industry collapse; Executives expect lender numbers to drop from more than 1,500 to as few as 50 (FT)
• Firms offer a glimpse of future business models at CEATEC, Japan’s biggest electronics trade show (Japan Times) 

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Is Uber worth as much as Alibaba? (AFR); Uber considers minority-stake investors for self-driving car unit; Ride-hailing group faces rising cost pressures ahead of IPO (FT); Uber Valued at $120 Billion in an IPO? Maybe (Bloomberg)
• Instacart Continues Funding Spree, Raises $600 Million; The grocery-delivery startup bagged nearly $1 billion from investors this year. (Bloomberg)
• Reddit CEO Says Tech Scandals Proved Him Right on User Data (Bloomberg)
• Adobe Characterizer turns you into an animated drawing with the power of AI (TNW)
• Postmates Interviews Banks for IPO; Food-delivery service is likely to go public in first half of 2019 (WSJ)
• ‘We’re Not Google’ Won’t Cut It for TomTom; It wants to be the go-to provider of high-definition maps for autonomous cars. But TomTom is lacking direction and losing customers. (Bloomberg)

Life

• The Woman They Turned Away who created many of technologies that we use on a daily basis (Medium)
• The “Get Rich Slow” Exit Strategy (Hackernoon)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (16 October 2018) – Trend Micro Redefines Endpoint Security with Trend Micro Apex One + Jeff Bezos: ”You have to find something where your particular life path has led you to see something in a particular way where you can pursue it and contribute to society.”

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (16 October 2018) – Trend Micro Redefines Endpoint Security with Trend Micro Apex One + Jeff Bezos: ”You have to find something where your particular life path has led you to see something in a particular way where you can pursue it and contribute to society.”

Companies

• Trend Micro Redefines Endpoint Security with Trend Micro Apex One (BI)
• Toyota and Line to offer voice-controlled AI navigation next summer (Japan Times)
• Mitsui O.S.K. Lines joined forces with Weathernews to launch the Fleet Optimal Control Unified System (FOCUS), a project that will gather and apply ship operation data to ensure safer, more environmentally friendly ocean transport. (Ajot)
• Cochlear’s next big breakthrough: 24/7 hearing for the profoundly deaf (AFR)

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

• Baidu leads new funding in NetEase Music (Technode)
• Alibaba steps on investment pedal in India, eyeing expanding online retail; Chinese e-commerce firm to pump in more money into Info Edge’s Zomato (Nikkei)
• SoftBank’s Son risks running short of good investments; Dull WeWork investment highlights dearth of shiny high tech targets (Nikkei)

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

• Apple buys music analytics company Asaii: Axios (Reuters)
• Is Google’s search function about to end? Its push into AI suggests so. (AFR)
• Google CEO says China search engine would serve 99 per cent of queries, takes a swipe at Baidu (SCMP)
• Bond bears stalk a FANG, short Netflix debt (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China emerges as center of thriving used smartphone trade (Nikkei)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Cloud software firm Twilio to buy SendGrid in $2 billion deal (Reuters)
• Adobe Remains a Creative Software King (Morningstar)
• Walmart Plans Competitor to Amazon’s Video Marketplace (Bloomberg)
• Airbnb bill may limit short-term rentals in U.S. capital (Reuters)
• This Company is Fast Becoming the Warby Parker of Scrubs; Figs, a five-year-old startup has upended the medical apparel industry with direct-to-consumer scrubs and splashy marketing campaigns. This year, it’s on track to make $100 million in revenue (WSJ)
• Robot Solves a Problem Kids Can’t: Cleaning Their Rooms; Tokyo-based Preferred Networks plans to sell robots that could handle tidying up and other household tasks (WSJ)
• AI Driving Nearly All Emerging Technology, Gartner Says (WSJ)
• 5G offers world’s biggest mobile market a gateway to the industrial internet (SCMP)

Life

• Jeff Bezos: ”You have to find something where your particular life path has led you to see something in a particular way where you can pursue it and contribute to society.”
• Apple’s Jony Ive on the unpredictable consequences of innovation (Wired)
• How to Become Obsessed with Your Goals and Demolish All Your Excuses (Ascent)
• From start-up to scale: A conversation with Box CEO Aaron Levie (McKinsey)
• If Humility Is So Important, Why Are Leaders So Arrogant? (HBR)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (15 October 2018) – 5G will force cybersecurity to evolve, Trend Micro says + How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life by Epictetus (

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (15 October 2018) – 5G will force cybersecurity to evolve, Trend Micro says + How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life by Epictetus (

Companies

• 5G will force cybersecurity to evolve, Trend Micro says (GN)
• En-Japan introduces hiring tools (AIM)
• Top player Yizhibo sold to Weibo as China’s live streaming frenzy cools down (Technode)
• Afterpay, Zip await ASIC critique of buy now pay later (AFR)

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

• Baidu demonstrates self driving buses in China as the technology moves closer to commercialisation (SCMP)
• Baidu Waimai rebrands as Star.Ele to target at higher-end food delivery market (Technode)
• Tencent hit as China’s freeze on new video game titles continues; Revenues set to suffer with approvals not expected to resume until next year (FT)
• Short Sellers Missed Tencent’s $250 Billion Party; They left a lot of money on the table as the Chinese technology behemoth slumped 44 percent from its peak. (Bloomberg)

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

• Apple buys music analytics company Asaii: Axios (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Chinese tech fundraising under pressure amid market turmoil; Investors expect slower and smaller IPO launches as valuations shrink (Nikkei)
• India’s $5bn no-frills hotel start-up Oyo Rooms targets China; Founder says he runs world’s ‘most advanced hotel system’ but analysts warn on expansion (FT)
• Relentless selling savages ASX tech stocks (AFR)

Life

• How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life by Epictetus (Amazon)
• SFC chairman Carlson Tong exits after dishing out nearly HK$4 billion in penalties; Six-year tenture saw the former head of KPMG in mainland China casting the regulatory spotlight firmly on corporate fraud, insider dealing, poor new listings (SCMP)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (13 October 2018) – Delta Electronics September revenues hit record + Y Combinator’s Daniel Gross: Dreams and Determination

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (13 October 2018) – Delta Electronics September revenues hit record + Y Combinator’s Daniel Gross: Dreams and Determination

Companies

• GoerTek has become the first of Apple’s leading equipment suppliers to confirm plans to shift production out of the country to avoid being caught up in the escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing. (Nikkei)
• Chinese Medical Cosmetology Platform SoYoung Seeks For US IPO (CMN)
• Delta Electronics September revenues hit record (Digitimes)
• Singapore-based VHQ Media purchased a 70% stake in Beijing Jupiter Cultural Media; the extension into TV dramas through the US$25.1m deal would help it leverage its strengths in movie production, special effects, post-production and 3D animation (Taipei Times)
• Afterpay, Zip await ASIC critique of buy now pay later (AFR)

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

• Alibaba merges food delivery units Ele.me and Koubei amid price war with Meituan in China’s on-demand market (SCMP); Alibaba announces a challenger to newly-listed Meituan (memo included); New lifestyle platform is here to bring up the stakes in China’s food delivery space. (KRA)
• TSMC to be only supplier of Apple A13 chips in 2019 (Digitimes)

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

• How Netflix Expanded to 190 Countries in 7 Years (HBR)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Indonesia’s Bukalapak connects kiosk shoppers to the web (Nikkei)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Where Fitbit’s Next Round of Growth Will Come From (Barron’s)
• Cokes, smokes and clicks: How Oxxo corner stores are cashing in on Mexican e-commerce (Reuters)
• A tech boom in Pittsburgh brings hope and angst (Reuters)
• French startup offers Asia an AI weapon against knockoffs; Forgery-proof tabs let consumers check authenticity, from luxury bags to wine (Nikkei)
• The Key to Autonomous Driving? An Impossibly Perfect Map; Self-driving cars may eventually work together to create nearly real-time maps. But we’re not there yet. (WSJ)
• In Fintech’s Race for Customers, Adyen Lands Gap’s EU Business (Bloomberg)

Life

• Y Combinator’s Daniel Gross: Dreams and Determination (DP)
• This Texas Finance Professor Sifts Data for Signs of Rigged Markets (Bloomberg)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (12 October 2018) – Trend Micro Brings Its Unified Threat Management Solution to North America + Time Horizon vs. Endurance

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (12 October 2018) – Trend Micro Brings Its Unified Threat Management Solution to North America + Time Horizon vs. Endurance

Companies

• Trend Micro’s four pillars of cybersecurity strategy (SB); Trend Micro Brings Its Unified Threat Management Solution to North America (BW)
• UK-based Orion Electrotech announced it is has completed the sale of a majority stake in the business to TechnoPro Holdings Inc., a Japan-based technology-focused staffing and services company (SI)
• Tencent Music will reportedly postpone IPO due to global market sell-off (CNBC)
• Chinese streaming platform NetEase signs copyright license agreement with Loen Entertainment (PI)
• Flexium revenues surge in 3Q18 (Digitimes)
• Australia’s Crime Stoppers has appointed Citadel Group to build out its safety management platform, Keep Us Safe vResponder, specifically around the needs of Crime Stoppers and its network (ZDnet)

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

• Amazon Owes Wikipedia Big-Time; Smart speakers are taking advantage of the free labor of Wikipedia volunteers. (Slate)
• The high-risk, high-reward world of selling stuff on Amazon (CNN)
• How Amazon Is Disrupting These 6 Sectors (Barron’s)
• Netflix Isn’t Invincible (AA)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• GoGoVan CEO says whoever adopts autonomous vehicle technology first will dominate logistics; Autonomous driving technology will enable more efficient and affordable delivery of goods (SCMP)
• India’s Flipkart confident of bumper sales season; says Amazon losing relevance (Reuters)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• ANGI Homeservices to Buy Handy to Dominate Home Renovations (Bloomberg)
• Bumble Owner Targets Nasdaq IPO to Become World’s Top Matchmaker (Bloomberg)
• US startup steals march on Amazon with grab-and-go shopping in Japan; Standard Cognition touts ‘much cheaper’ AI-based solution amid labor shortage (Nikkei)

Life

• Time Horizon vs. Endurance (Morgan Housel)
• Costco’s secret weapon: Food courts and $1.50 hot dogs (CNN)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (11 October 2018) – Altium Disrupts PCB Design + Delisting of 23 Chinese firms due to accounting fraud etc in Korea costs investors W270b

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (11 October 2018) – Altium Disrupts PCB Design + Delisting of 23 Chinese firms due to accounting fraud etc in Korea costs investors W270b

Companies

• Uniqlo-owner Fast Retailing to invest $885 mln in warehouse automation and teams up with logistics firm Daifuku (Reuters)
• China Lithium King Tanks in Hong Kong Debut Amid Stocks Rout (Bloomberg)
• Altium Disrupts PCB Design (EEJ)

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

• Tencent’s Worst Investment Has Been Its Own Shares; The Internet giant has lost an annualized 85 percent over the course of its six-week-long buyback adventure. (Bloomberg)
• Tencent VC Arm Is Said to Seek a New Fund of Over $650 Million (Bloomberg)
• SoftBank in danger of over-WeWorking itself (Reuters); WeWork and SoftBank Need Each Other; One of these companies enjoys growth, the other has money. Both are heavily reliant on faith. (Bloomberg)

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

• The Battle for the Home (Stratechery)
• Apple to buy part of supplier Dialog’s business in $600 million deal (Reuters)
• Apple streaming-TV service to be free for device users: report (MW)
• Chipmaker Nvidia to supply computer for Volvo’s upcoming vehicles (Reuters); Nvidia aims to woo business analysts with new software (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China’s grip on electronics manufacturing will be hard to break; Will the supply chain bifurcate, between East and West? (Economist)
• Music education platform Finger wins RMB 100 million Series B to expand into offline market; Finger, launched in December 2015, offers online courses of more than ten instruments. (KRA)
• Chinese lidar maker RoboSense raises US$45m in biggest fundraising round among local peers (SCMP)
• Education, enterprise-oriented services and AI are recession resistant: says the investor behind Didi & Ofo Allen Zhu (KRA)
• Infographic | GGV on investing education tech startups (KRA)
• Snapdeal 2.0 faces a new world order in Indian e-commerce (qz)
• Bridestory launches Parentstory, an online marketplace for kids activities (e27)
• Go-Jek and its tech expansion strategy in SEA; How Go-Jek uses a feedback loop process to build and collate data to understand consumers needs and launches 18 verticals. (KRA)
• Online payments still a challenge for Southeast Asia’s tech players (SCMP)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Zuora Plans a Partnership With Amazon Pay (Barron’s)
• Boss Talk: Slack’s CEO Wants to Unshackle You From Email; Slack, valued at $7 billion in a recent fundraising round, has resisted going public-though that could change; Stewart Butterfield talks about how he works (WSJ)
• The untold story of Stripe, the secretive $20bn startup driving Apple, Amazon and Facebook; Patrick and John Collison have democratised online payments – and reshaped the digital economy in the process (Wired)
• Walmart Cuts Online Video Deals in Bid to Become Entertainment Hub; Retail giant teams up with MGM and a video startup in its rivalry with Amazon; first up is a remake of ‘Mr. Mom’ (WSJ)
• Snap Is Making a Big Bet on Grabbing Eyeballs With Original Content (Barron’s); Snapchat announces new scripted shows to win over users (Reuters)
• Uber’s Junk Bond Is an Entree to the Main Event (Bloomberg)
• Tech’s $900 Billion Rout Is Price of Earnings Becoming Ordinary (Bloomberg)
• Chipmaker Micron to invest $100 million in artificial intelligence companies (Reuters)

Life

• Delisting of 23 Chinese firms due to accounting fraud etc in Korea costs investors W270b (Investor)
• A proposal by HKSE that listed companies suspend share trading immediately if auditors refuse to give their financial statements a clean bill of health could lead to an increase in tensions between firms and auditors (SCMP)
• Hong Kong markets watchdog to sue 60 companies and individuals for corporate fraud in first half of 2019 (SCMP)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (10 October 2018) – Trend Micro is a AWS Marketplace vendor partner that has been instrumental in helping AWS create the latest Consulting Partner Private Offers + Borges on Turning Trauma, Misfortune, and Humiliation into Raw Material for Art

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (10 October 2018) – Trend Micro is a AWS Marketplace vendor partner that has been instrumental in helping AWS create the latest Consulting Partner Private Offers + Borges on Turning Trauma, Misfortune, and Humiliation into Raw Material for Art

Companies

• AWS Marketplace Now Empowering Authorized Partners To Create Custom Software Solutions; Trend Micro is a AWS Marketplace vendor partner that has been instrumental in helping AWS create the latest Consulting Partner Private Offers. (CRN)
• Looking for the music in Tencent Music (Midia)

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

• China’s Banking Showdown: WeChat vs. 3 Million Bank Tellers (Bloomberg)
• SoftBank Discusses Taking Majority Stake in WeWork; Investment could total between $15 billion and $20 billion and would likely come from SoftBank’s Vision Fund (WSJ)

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

• All the ways Amazon’s AI brought me the socks I am wearing right now (CNN)
• Google launched new mobile and home gadgets aimed at ensuring the voice-controlled Google Assistant is never out of shouting distance. (WSJ)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Clouds gather over Chinese tech start-ups’ convertible debt sales; What was once a sure-fire arrangement could end up with investors writing off bets (FT)
• Yunfeng, Advantech Lead $300M Round In China’s Airbnb Copycat Xiaozhu.com (CMN)
• Chinese game which simulates what it’s like to be a parent tops Steam charts, beating Grand Theft Auto (SCMP)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Spotify Has Upside, but Not Where the Market’s Looking (Barron’s)
• Lyft will pay you to ditch your car. will it work? (Wired)
• Why It’s Less Hip To Be Square; The payments company, along with fintech peers, is priced for near perfection despite the likelihood of complications to its lending model (WSJ)
• Snap Is ‘Quickly Running Out of Money,’ Analyst Says (Bloomberg)

Life

• Borges on Turning Trauma, Misfortune, and Humiliation into Raw Material for Art (BP)
• Disney’s secret: marketing mindset, storytelling and trust (AFR)
• Three Ways To Use The Power Of Persuasion In Marketing (Forbes)
• The Hero In All Of Us (Medium)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (9 October 2018) – The Seekers Mode: What Steve Jobs And Richard Feynman Have In Common

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (9 October 2018) – The Seekers Mode: What Steve Jobs And Richard Feynman Have In Common

Companies

• TCL, world’s third largest television maker, eyes stake in chip equipment firm ASM Pacific (SCMP)
• Meet The Man Who Reversed The Fortunes Of No. 5-Ranked PC Brand Acer (Forbes)
• Catch Group dismisses Amazon threat as it treks towards IPO (Age)

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

• Tencent shares lowest in 15 months, having shed US$220 billion since January (SCMP)
• China’s Tencent invests $180 million in Brazil fintech Nubank (Reuters)

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

• Facebook launches video-call device ‘Portal’ amid data privacy concerns (SCMP); Facebook debuts smart speaker for Messenger video calls (Reuters)
• Microsoft Invests in Grab as Ride Hailer Adopts Azure Platform (Bloomberg)
• Microsoft testing new game-streaming service (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China’s quest for the cutting edge in surgical robotics (SCMP)
• China’s AI Industry Has Given Birth To 14 Unicorns: Is It A Bubble Waiting To Burst? (Forbes)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• The New Atlanta Billionaires Behind An Unlikely Tech Unicorn: Mailchimp (Forbes)
• Reddit: the rancorous rise of a social-media phenomenon (Nature)
• Square’s most steadfast bear is increasingly worried about the company’s interest in the lending business (Barron’s)
• Walmart partners with MGM to boost video-on-demand service Vudu (Reuters)

Life

• How to solve a big problem (even if you don’t know how) (Medium)
• The Seekers Mode: What Steve Jobs And Richard Feynman Have In Common (Medium)
• Einstein was an Artist: How Creativity Actually Works (Medium)
• One of the simplest rules in life is often times one of the hardest to implement: be nice to other people. You never know what they’re going through. (Ben Carlson)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (8 October 2018) – Big screen continues to be big business: Vista Cinema division, which provides software-as-a-service to large cinema chains, is used in 42,512 screens worldwide, for a 38 per cent market share + Marcus Aurelius: How To Live Without Fear: Developing strength by having power over the mind

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (8 October 2018) – Big screen continues to be big business: Vista Cinema division, which provides software-as-a-service to large cinema chains, is used in 42,512 screens worldwide, for a 38 per cent market share + Marcus Aurelius: How To Live Without Fear: Developing strength by having power over the mind

Companies

• Big screen continues to be big business; Vista provides cinema-management software for independent cinema operators and large circuits, as well as moviegoer data analytics, film distribution and other cinema-related technology services. Vista Cinema division, which provides software-as-a-service to large cinema chains, is used in 42,512 screens worldwide, for a 38 per cent market share (TB)
• Cashless wave to lift Revenue’s growth (Edge)

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

• Saudi Arabia invests another US$45 billion with SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son to pick tech winners (SCMP)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Chinese offshore IPOs grow more reliant on shaky legal structure; Boom in tech listings built on companies that lack ownership of their operations (Nikkei)
• Educating children with storytelling, YueDuQiYuan seeks Pre-A series financing (KRA)
• AI promises jobs revolution but first it needs old-fashioned manual labour – from China; Basic Finder is among the labelling companies thriving amid the data boom, with clients including US university UC Berkeley and Chinese AI leaders SenseTime and iFlyTek (SCMP)
• Indian online car dealer Droom raises yet another US$30m (KRA)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Bob Iger’s Bets Are Paying Off Big Time for Disney (Time)
• The Internet Gave Us Great TV-Now Where’s Our Great TV Guide? The Golden Age of Television comes with too many apps and devices, and there aren’t enough tools to help you find and play the best shows (WSJ)
• Comcast’s Revenge: Never Sell Hulu; Selling its Hulu stake to Disney would help offset the cost of acquiring Sky, but Comcast has good reasons to hold on (WSJ)
• 3D printers already create human tissue, a house and smart ‘skin devices’, so what will future bring? (SCMP)
• Elastic’s Soaring IPO Stretches Valuation to $4.9 Billion (Bloomberg)
• Lasers Are Cool But Their Stocks Can’t Seem to Catch a Break (Bloomberg)

Life

• Marcus Aurelius: How To Live Without Fear: Developing strength by having power over the mind (Medium)
• One of the simplest rules in life is often times one of the hardest to implement: be nice to other people. You never know what they’re going through. (Ben Carlson)
• China First Capital (1269) and a questionable joint venture (Webb)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (6 October 2018) – Altium Previews “First Step” in Connecting Electronics Design to the Manufacturing Floor + The Four Words That Made Her a Billionaire

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (6 October 2018) – Altium Previews “First Step” in Connecting Electronics Design to the Manufacturing Floor + The Four Words That Made Her a Billionaire

Companies

• Kakao T to launch taxi-hailing service in Japan (Investor)
• Altium Previews “First Step” in Connecting Electronics Design to the Manufacturing Floor (Benzinga); Altium Announces New Cloud-Based Design Environment with Eye Towards Collaboration: Altium 365 (AAC)

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

• Twenty years in the making: The backstory behind the new Toyota-SoftBank joint venture (Japan Times)

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

• Secret Amazon brands are quietly taking over Amazon.com (qz)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China ‘spy chips’ rattle global data center supply chain (Nikkei)
• Chinese robotics startup cracks the code for Western markets; Makeblock’s build and play approach to computer science is winning over educators (Nikkei)
• Haruki Atarashi never thought his company’s flagship software, Recog, which fosters communication between employees within companies, would ever evolve beyond just an internal project. (Japan Times)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Data-Center Gold Rush Boosts Eaton and Terex (Barron’s)
• Elastic closed 94% up in first day of trading on NYSE, raised $252M at a $2.5B valuation in its IPO; When you hail a ride home from work with Uber, Elastic helps power the systems that locate nearby riders and drivers. When you shop online at Walgreens, Elastic helps power finding the right products to add to your cart. When you look for a partner on Tinder, Elastic helps power the algorithms that guide you to a match. When you search across Adobe’s millions of assets, Elastic helps power finding the right photo, font, or color palette to complete your project” (Techcrunch)

Life

• Risk Management; “A regret is different than a challenge, a mishap, a period of misery, or even a disaster. Most people can deal with all kinds of nonsense that hurts today but you may not regret tomorrow. A lot of what seems risky today you won’t even remember tomorrow (Morgan Housel)
• Podcast: Michael Batnick on Big Mistakes and Finding Your Calling (NR)
• The Four Words That Made Her a Billionaire (Medium)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (5 October 2018) – Sinbon revenues hit record in September + Your Work Is the Only Thing That Matters (Ryan Holiday)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (5 October 2018) – Sinbon revenues hit record in September + Your Work Is the Only Thing That Matters (Ryan Holiday)

Companies

• Chinese travel giant Ctrip partners with Splyt to push into international ride-hailing, setting up Didi clash (SCMP)
• Mixi: This Company Had Most Lucrative Mobile Game Ever. Now It Needs a New Hit (Bloomberg)
• Sinbon revenues hit record in September, driven by increasing sales in green-energy, communication and electronics peripheral products (Digitimes)
• Info Edge’s Zomato to launch own digital wallet, aims to boost predictability of orders (BStd)

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

• Alibaba’s Jack Ma is giving up ownership of Chinese entities – here’s what that means (SCMP)
• Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu will reward patient investors who stay with them through the headwinds (SCMP)
• Tencent has pumped billions into 300 companies. Here’s what it’s buying; The investments have long raised questions about Tencent’s strategy, esp when they target industries that appear unrelated to its main businesses of gaming and social media (CNN)
• Tencent Pair Trade That Earned a Quick 54% Now Looks Crowded (Bloomberg)
• Data explosion brings Toyota and SoftBank together; Monetizing information key to dominance in next-generation mobility services (Nikkei); Do-or-die self-driving race forces carmakers to choose allies; Toyota and SoftBank shift from partnership to capital tie-up (Nikkei); SoftBank-Backed Guardant Soars in Trading Debut After U.S. IPO (Bloomberg)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Indonesia Set to Tighten Noose on Online Sellers Evading Tax (Bloomberg)
• Grab and Fave form strategic partnership (TIA)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Why the Tinder Gold Rush Could Continue (Barron’s)
• Why voice assistants will drive e-commerce (TNW)
• Six predictions for the tech industry in 2019 and beyond; CCS Insight expects driverless cars to be banned in at least three countries by next year (FT)
• Square Pushes Further Into Lending, saying it would start letting qualified shoppers finance in-store purchases of big-ticket items (Barron’s)
• Live Nation Stock Stumbles as the Government Looks at Online Ticketing (Barron’s)
• ZipRecruiter Is Valued at $1.5 Billion in a Bet on AI Hiring (Bloomberg)
• Predicting Airfare Is a $750 Million Business (Bloomberg)
• Cloudera and Hortonworks Are a Match Made Underwater; Former hot startups settle for less than when they were private. (Bloomberg)
• Social media analytics platform Hootsuite explores sale: sources (Reuters)
• Fitbit (fit) follow up: enough upside to justify the risk ? (VAO)

Life

• Your Work Is the Only Thing That Matters (Ryan Holiday)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (4 October 2018) – New faces and overseas earners lead Nikkei to fresh 27-year highs; The likes of Keyence and Recruit crowd top 10 market cap list + Robert Greene’s new book: The Laws of Human Nature Hardcover – October 23, 2018

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (4 October 2018) – New faces and overseas earners lead Nikkei to fresh 27-year highs; The likes of Keyence and Recruit crowd top 10 market cap list + Robert Greene’s new book: The Laws of Human Nature Hardcover – October 23, 2018

Companies

• Tencent Music Won’t Have Investors Dancing in the Streets; The Tencent-backed company is looking for a $25 billion valuation in its IPO in the U.S., despite slowing revenue growth from its main business (WSJ)
• Market cheers Tencent’s US$300 million investment in Chinese video streamer Bilibili (SCMP); Hedge Funds Cheer Tencent Stake in Chinese Video Streamer (Bloomberg)
• China’s Big Brother drafted into trade war; Intel may be forced to stop selling to $39 billion Hikvision (Reuters)
• Nintendo Plans New Version of Switch Next Year; Updated console isn’t expected to adopt the OLED panels used in Apple’s iPhone X series (WSJ)
• New faces and overseas earners lead Nikkei to fresh 27-year highs; The likes of SoftBank, Docomo, Keyence and Recruit crowd top 10 market cap list (Nikkei)

• Repstronics Celebrates 15-Year Anniversary with Koh Young (iconnect)
• Innodisk Showcasing the Latest Storage and Memory Innovations at Global Gaming Expo 2018 (PR News)
• Carsales first to put goods on Reserve Bank’s New Payment Platform (AFR)
• Serko is a provider of travel and expense technology solutions to a growing number of companies including industry giant Flight Centre (MF)
• Yorkshire Building Society Group will deliver a new online mortgage application platform with technology business IRESS. (MS)
• AltiumLive to Feature Altium Designer 19 Release (iconnect)
• Modem rental firm Passpod to raise $2.6m in Indonesia IPO (KRA)

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

• Nomura Fund Manager Dumps 4.3 Million Samsung Shares Before Earnings (Bloomberg)
• Toyota and SoftBank tie up to offer new mobility services (Nikkei, Reuters)

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

• Microsoft’s CFO explains its M&A strategy: It loves to buy ‘communities’ like LinkedIn and GitHub; Amy Hood talked about the importance of “networked assets.” “Those types of assets are always interesting and always will be around the world (CNBC)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Despite trade war, US investors embrace unprofitable Chinese IPOs in plan for long-term gain (SCMP)
• Japan is embracing the cloud. It will embrace cashless payments, too (TIA)
• Carmakers Throw Money at the Future of Driving; Honda, Toyota’s investments in autonomous vehicles could prove to be pricey endeavors. (Bloomberg)
• Startups to gain better access to Japanese medical records; Certification program underway to ensure privacy protection (Nikkei)
• There’s only one thing Indian online shoppers are loyal to: discounts (qz)
• Indonesia’s Go-Jek could launch ride-hailing service in Singapore this month as it looks to challenge Grab (SCMP)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Upwork Stock Soared After Its IPO as Wall Street Bet on the Freelance Economy (Barron’s)
• Investors Cool on Hotly Anticipated London FinTech IPO; Shares in peer-to-peer lender Funding Circle traded sharply below their offer price (WSJ)
• Talkdesk Raises $100 Million to Make Customer Service Less Terrible; Using cloud technology and machine learning, the startup is said to hit a more than $1 billion valuation. (Bloomberg)
• From investment banker to delivery man: how Deliveroo chief Will Shu built a US$2 billion company (SCMP)
• Network effect: How Shopify is the platform powering the DTC brand revolution (Digiday)

Life

• Robert Greene’s new book: The Laws of Human Nature Hardcover – October 23, 2018 (Amazon)
• This Timeless And Boldly Optimistic Idea Could Change Your Life (Ryan Holiday)
• Anton Chekhov’s 6 Rules for a Great Story; Mastering the essential complementarity of compassion and total objectivity. (BP)
• Ray Dalio: “I think curiosity and character are the two most important attributes to have.” (LinkedIn)
• How to Create Any Habit With Advice From the Four Greatest Habit Masters (BHCM)
• How to Make a Dent in the Universe; “What important truth do few people agree with you on?” (Medium)
• How to come up with a killer brand name (Medium)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (3 October 2018) – Tencent Music Plays Spotify Rhythms to a Facebook Beat; Social is the foundation of the Chinese spinoff’s revenue model + 35 Quotes on Design That Will Fuel Up Your Creativity

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (3 October 2018) – Tencent Music Plays Spotify Rhythms to a Facebook Beat; Social is the foundation of the Chinese spinoff’s revenue model + 35 Quotes on Design That Will Fuel Up Your Creativity

Companies

• Tencent Music Plays Spotify Rhythms to a Facebook Beat; Social is the foundation of the Chinese spinoff’s revenue model. (Bloomberg); Tencent streaming music arm files for $1bn US listing; Chinese market leader sets in motion IPO on heels of group restructuring (Nikkei, WSJ)
• Chinese OTA Tongcheng-Elong’s IPO could be worth up to $5.5b (KRA)
• Japan online flea market operator Mercari hires large number of non-Japanese grads (Japan Times)
• Automated optical inspection (AOI) equipment specialist Machvision saw its third-quarter revenues climb to a record high of NT$965 million (US$31.6 million), representing a whopping annual increase of 160.98% and a sequential growth of 31.11% (Digitimes)
• Kakao to spin off e-commerce unit for expansion (Investor)

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

• Jack Ma, Alibaba’s VIEs and that US$120bil market cap plunge (Bloomberg)

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

• Facebook’s Foray Into the Dating Scene Looks Like No Match for Match (Bloomberg)
• Netflix, Amazon Forced to Fund European Video Under New Rule (Bloomberg)
• If Amazon Wants to Buy Lions Gate, the Price Tag Is Going Up (Bloomberg)
• If Apple Shifts Production To The U.S., Taiwan’s Tech Hub Will Suffer (Forbes)
• How Google Plans to Win Cloud Gaming’s Future (Barron’s)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• How China’s Peer-to-Peer Lending Crash Is Destroying Lives; Hundreds of platforms have collapsed, and many savers can’t get their money back. (Bloomberg)
• B2B marketplace Ralali.com branches out with its own e-wallet (e27)
• ‘Unicorn’ Canva reports maiden profit in second half of 2017 (AFR)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Data Factories (Stratechery)
• Roku Is Getting Big Enough to Be a Buyout Target. Here’s Who Might Want It (Barron’s)
• Construction Tech Startups Drawing Investors; As an industry, construction has been among the slowest to adopt digital technologies. (WSJ)
• Slack has made its biggest acquisition to date (qz)

Life

• Hong Kong Freezes Company Chairman’s Assets in $1.3 Billion Fraud Case; Regulator suspects the chairman, whom it doesn’t name, of a publicly listed company colluded in two deals (WSJ); Huarong and the Chung Nam Network (Webb)
• How to Shape Remarkable Products in the Messy Middle of Building Startups (First Round)
• 35 Quotes on Design That Will Fuel Up Your Creativity (Prototypr)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (2 October 2018) – Getac launches new F110-Ex tablet for exceptional productivity in hazardous environments + 11 Ways Emotionally Intelligent People Overcome Uncertainty

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (2 October 2018) – Getac launches new F110-Ex tablet for exceptional productivity in hazardous environments + 11 Ways Emotionally Intelligent People Overcome Uncertainty

Companies

• Japan’s used clothing stores a perfect fit for other Asian markets; Treasure Factory, which has about 180 locations in Japan, already has two shops in Bangkok, with plans to add eight more by 2021. (Nikkei)
• Pinduoduo’s rise: Are there lessons for Southeast Asia? On the surface, this region seems predestined for an app similar to the latest Chinese e-commerce disruptor. But once you look deeper, challenges outweigh the potential – for now. (KRA)
• Getac launches new F110-Ex tablet for exceptional productivity in hazardous environments (SS)

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

• Tencent: Investing machine; There’s a purpose behind Tencent’s frenzy of dealmaking: Keep users coming back to its platform (Forbes)
• SoftBank seeking to invest US$500 million in Baidu education spin-off; Founded in 2014 by Chinese search giant Baidu Inc., Zuoyebang targets primary and secondary school students in China (SCMP)

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

• Netflix is about to let viewers decide how their favourite shows end, with interactive storylines (SCMP)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China tech companies still favor New York over local bourses; Looser listing rules in Hong Kong and mainland have limited impact (Nikkei)
• China’s latest AI champion says technical standards needed for healthy development of facial recognition industry (SCMP)
• Japanese gourmet media startup Favy raises $9M, with 67M MAU closing in on big players (Bridge)
• Singapore’s NETS launches app for small businesses to accept QR code payments; The country’s most ubiquitous payment solution is now making it easier for merchants to receive QR code payments without a terminal. (KRA)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Fashion Emergency at Stitch Fix; The clothing subscription service had its first big stumble as the number of active clients stagnated (WSJ); Stitch Fix Investors Look to Results to Ease Worries Over Amazon (Bloomberg)
• Deliveroo’s full-year loss deepens on expansion spend (Reuters)
• Ex-Apple engineers show their startup’s self-driving car sensor (Reuters)
• Electric cars cast growing shadow on profits (Reuters)
• For Now, at Least, the World Isn’t Making Enough Batteries; Demand for batteries to power cars and store solar energy has overmatched the world’s few suppliers. (Bloomberg)

Life

• 11 Ways Emotionally Intelligent People Overcome Uncertainty (Medium)
• Why Agile Goes Awry – and How to Fix It (HBR)
• SEC Spots a Way to Starve the Most Suspicious Penny Stocks (Bloomberg)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (1 October 2018) – Nvidia is near a ‘tipping point’ in AI dominance + 3 Things Copywriters Can Learn From Dr Seuss

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (1 October 2018) – Nvidia is near a ‘tipping point’ in AI dominance + 3 Things Copywriters Can Learn From Dr Seuss

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

• Jack Ma Removes Himself as Owner of Alibaba Business Licenses; The change was made to reduce the administrative burden on the Chinese tycoon, who earlier announced he would step down as executive chairman (WSJ)
• Tencent employs facial recognition to detect minors in top-grossing mobile game ‘Honour of Kings’ (SCMP)
• Tencent restructuring prompts fears for China’s startup funding; Half of Chinese unicorns in for rough ride if tech giants curtail investment (Reuters, Nikkei); Tencent Targets Business Customers in Restructuring Plan; Will trim its business units from seven to six by consolidating responsibilities of several of its content-focused groups (WSJ)

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

• Apple Looks Down on Ads But Takes Billions From Google; Goldman estimates $9 billion of the company’s fast-growing services segment comes from the search giant. (Bloomberg)
• Nvidia is near a ‘tipping point’ in AI dominance, analyst says (MW)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Japan’s Open8 raises $13M, launches AI-powered video creation tool for business (Bridge)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• The AI Paradox: How A Deep Learning Startup Is Building Successful AI Solutions (Forbes)
• Normally Sunny John Chambers Is Scared About the Economy (Barron’s)
• Salesforce’s Co-CEO on Marc Benioff, Disruption, and the Power of the Hawaiian Shirt (Barron’s)
• Tesla’s SEC deal provides ammunition for U.S. probe, investor lawsuits (Reuters)

Life

• 3 Things Copywriters Can Learn From Dr Seuss (Medium)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (29 September 2018) – Infibeam: WhatsApp Message Destroys 71% of Indian E-Commerce Firm’s Value

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (29 September 2018) – Infibeam: WhatsApp Message Destroys 71% of Indian E-Commerce Firm’s Value

Companies

• Ahead of its IPO, TouchPal co-founder says the company has 180 million users (Technode)
• Kakao Page invests W40b in 3 comic publishers (Investor)
• Getac announces new F110-Ex tablet, for exceptional productivity in hazardous environments (RPCR)
• Infibeam: WhatsApp Message Destroys 71% of Indian E-Commerce Firm’s Value (Bloomberg)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• How long can Hong Kong ride the IPO wave before it turns into the dotcom tsunami of 2000? (SCMP)
• The Little Red Book is a social e-commerce platform that’s not an e-commerce platform at all (Technode)
• Chinese Home-Sharing Platform Xiaozhu.com In Talks To Raise Over $200M (CMN)
• Bytedance to raise money from SoftBank at $75bn valuation; News and video app group is one of few Chinese tech giants to succeed overseas (FT)
• 450,000 Hong Kong bank customers to benefit from instant QR-code-based money transfer system from Sunday (SCMP)
• I still give Flipkart an edge over Amazon: Naspers CEO (Forbes)
• Law Enforcement Agencies In India Are Using Artificial Intelligence To Nab Criminals — Here’s How (Forbes)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Shares of Pet Insurer Trupanion Are Overvalued (Barron’s)
• Hulu Is the Next Front in the Battle Between Disney and Comcast (Barron’s)
• Why Sirius Wants Pandora (Barron’s)
• Slack Actively Preparing for Early 2019 IPO; Messaging company, recently valued at roughly $7 billion, aims to debut in the first half (WSJ)
• A Tesla Without Elon Musk Would Threaten Electric-Car Maker’s Future; Securities regulators’ lawsuit against the CEO raises the specter of an exit that could have dire consequences (WSJ)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (28 September 2018) – Daifuku targets motor industry with automated robotic parts system + How Winning Organizations Last 100 Years

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (28 September 2018) – Daifuku targets motor industry with automated robotic parts system + How Winning Organizations Last 100 Years

Companies

• Daifuku targets motor industry with parts system (LM)
• XentIT Teams with Trend Micro and Qualys to Offer New Healthcare Cloud Security Stack for Microsoft Azure (DJ)
• Nintendo: test of character; Games group has shown the survival skills of any video game immortal; ‘Super Mario Run’ disappointed last year mainly because Nintendo charged mobile users to play higher levels (FT)
• How Ctrip’s James Liang is turning China into a nation of tourists (AFR)
• After IPO, Liulishuo CEO says marketing expenses are necessary (Technode)
• Koh Young to Demo True 3D Inspection for a Smart Factory at SMTAI (iconnect)
• Delta Electronics becomes EV100 member promoting low-carbon transportation (Digitimes)
• Leica Geosystems unveils new tablet solution with Getac (ITP)

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

• Baidu strengthens ‘super app’ foothold with 100 million monthly active mini-programmes users (SCMP)

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

• Facebook Bets Big on ‘Stories.’ What If They’re a Fad?; The social network has been here before with live video. (Bloomberg)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Big-data trading platform to launch in Japan next month (Nikkei)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Ultrasound Startup Joins Unicorn Ranks With Latest Cash Infusion (Bloomberg)
• Musk suit could uncover Tesla’s true value (Reuters); U.S. regulator sues Musk for fraud, seek to remove him from Tesla (Reuters)

Life

• How Winning Organizations Last 100 Years (HBR)
• Fosun’s Folli Follie: $1bn of fake sales, and what to learn from the debacle (FT)
• The annoying habits of highly effective people: Be wary of taking life lessons from chief executives (Economist)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (27 September 2018) – Tencent Music, bound for U.S. IPO, profits from social savvy + Howard Marks – How to Invest with Clear Thinking (Tim Ferris podcast #338)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (27 September 2018) – Tencent Music, bound for U.S. IPO, profits from social savvy + Howard Marks – How to Invest with Clear Thinking (Tim Ferris podcast #338)

Companies

• Tencent Music, bound for U.S. IPO, profits from social savvy (Reuters)
• Uniqlo parent enlists Google to make fast fashion faster; Fast Retailing taps AI to streamline processes and quickly respond to trends (Nikkei)
• Nintendo Bets on Dragons in First Built-From-Scratch Mobile Game; Title co-developed by lucrative mobile games maker CyberAgent (Bloomberg)
• Citadel-IX is a modular SaaS platform designed to provide both domestic and international customers with secure, flexible options to manage their enterprise information. It is deployable within one hour, highly scalable, and has the latest technology and software to support cloud-first strategies (MF)
• Alleged Forgery At A Promoter Entity Adds To 8K Miles’ Woes (Bloomberg)

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

• Tencent & Alibaba chase remittances in battle for Southeast Asia (Reuters)
• Baidu CEO Robin Li says artificial intelligence will have much bigger impact on society than the internet (SCMP)
• Tencent adds eye protection function to videos after Beijing calls for action to prevent myopia in children (SCMP)
• Masayoshi Son, SoftBank, and the $100 Billion Blitz on Sand Hill Road; The Japanese dealmaker says he’ll raise a new $100 billion fund every few years. Silicon Valley’s disruptors are struggling to keep up. (Bloomberg); SoftBank Invests $400 Million in Home-Selling Startup Opendoor; Japanese firm’s Vision Fund is amping up its bet on real estate (WSJ); Didi drives into Japan, setting up head-on collision with Uber in world’s third-largest taxi market (SCMP); Softbank’s ARM unveils dedicated chip design for autonomous cars (Reuters)

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

• Apple, Salesforce team up to bring Siri to more business apps (Reuters)
• Amazon turns to toys, home goods in latest brick-and-mortar trial (Reuters)
• The new echo show hints at Amazon’s vision for TV (Wired)
• Amazon Prime Day: What the real lessons are (McKinsey)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Hong Kong IPO Roulette Has Top Money Managers in a Spin; Tempting Chinese tech offerings now look like a trap. (Bloomberg)
• Investors are becoming more discerning as they look beyond growth and market share. “It used to be the case that people were chasing all these unicorns”. Now, they want to know whether the company will eventually be profitable (WSJ)
• CareVoice, China’s TripAdvisor-style health insurance start-up, launches in Hong Kong as it eyes Asian expansion (SCMP)
• China tech IPO boom to continue for at least another year, says China Renaissance CEO (SCMP)
• How China Systematically Pries Technology From U.S. Companies; Beijing leans on an array of levers to extract intellectual property-sometimes coercively (WSJ)
• Chinese millennials’ ‘buy now, pay later’ mentality fuels thriving micro loan industry (SCMP)
• China Claims More Patents Than Any Country-Most Are Worthless (Bloomberg)
• By Plowing Millions Into Uber, Toyota Eyes Future of Cars (Bloomberg)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• TomTom plans fleet-management sale to focus on maps battle with Google (Reuters)
• Payment Startup Stripe Is Now a $20 Billion Company; The fast-growing startup has raised $245 million and signed on new customers. (Bloomberg, Reuters)
• JPMorgan in talks to lead Lyft’s IPO – sources (Reuters)
• Boohoo bucks brutal British clothing market with online growth (Reuters)
• Darktrace hits $1.65 billion valuation after latest funding round (Reuters)
• Disney’s First Streaming Service Tops 1 Million Subscribers (Fox)
• Sirius XM’s $3.5 billion Pandora deal is a bet on the future of streaming – here’s how its largest shareholder, ‘cable cowboy’ John Malone, came to be worth $9 billion (BI)

Life

• Howard Marks – How to Invest with Clear Thinking (Tim Ferris podcast #338) (Tim Ferris)
• Hong Kong’s sudden equity collapse syndrome (FT)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (26 September 2018) – Vista Group’s Veezi Signs Deal with CanalOlympia, Vivendi’s Pan African Cinema Network + This Is How To Quit Bad Habits Without Willpower: 3 Secrets From Research

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (26 September 2018) – Vista Group’s Veezi Signs Deal with CanalOlympia, Vivendi’s Pan African Cinema Network + This Is How To Quit Bad Habits Without Willpower: 3 Secrets From Research

Companies

• Popular Japanese cosmetic portal @cosme gaining foothold in Asia (Japan Times)
• Ferrotec Launches Customized Thermoelectric Module Technology for Cooling and Heating Applica (PR News)
• Murata to invest $354m in new plant as iPhones drive parts demand (Nikkei)
• New Teledyne AES Investments in Main Production Facility Delivers Faster Response Times, Quality Enhancement to Customers; AES chose to make this investment in equipment upgrades with machinery manufactured by Koh Young Tech (BW); Koh Young Solutions on Display at Repstronics Open House in Guadalajara (iconnect)
• Vista Group’s Veezi Signs Deal with CanalOlympia, Vivendi’s Pan African Cinema Network (BW)
• Afterpay comes to dentistry as Smiles Inclusive targets Millennials (AFR)

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

• Alibaba and the Future of Business (HBR)

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

• Apple’s purchase of Shazam is $400 million well spent; Especially if it makes Apple Music a more compelling product. (EG)
• Is Amazon Investing Enough in Autonomous Driving? (Barron’s)
• Amazon Comes Up With Another Way to Get Alexa Into Your Home (Bloomberg)
• Facebook’s Terrible Year Hits a New Low; The departure of Instagram’s founders is a particularly painful sting during a truly rotten year. (Bloomberg); Instagram’s Kevin Systrom on the Platform He Built for One Billion Users (WSJ); Facebook at risk of smothering its golden goose (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• After Huami, another Xiaomi partner Viomi IPOs within one year (Technode)
• Online tour booking site Klook wants to tackle its next big challenge: converting walk-ins (KRA)
• Circle K chief on adapting to digital shift: keep up, or die (SCMP)
• Slack has made its biggest acquisition to date (qz)
• This 24-Year-Old Built a $5 Billion Hotel Startup in Five Years (Bloomberg)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• One Analyst Thinks Square Should Be a Part of the FANG Group (Bloomberg)
• Shopify CEO Says Amazon Is Encroaching on Its Turf (Bloomberg)
• SurveyMonkey Raises $180 Million in U.S. Initial Public Offering (Bloomberg)
• Chip Stocks Tumble as Raymond James Is Latest to Sound Alarm (Bloomberg)

Life

• This Is How To Quit Bad Habits Without Willpower: 3 Secrets From Research (Barker)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (25 September 2018) – Krista Tippett podcast with Seth Godin: Life, the Internet, and Everything

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (25 September 2018) – Krista Tippett podcast with Seth Godin: Life, the Internet, and Everything

Companies

• Hamamatsu to Distribute Energetiq’s LDLST Products (BI)

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

• SoftBank moves to lock up lithium, the lifeblood of electric cars; Investment in Canadian miner part of broader energy resource strategy (Nikkei)

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

• Technology is dead, long live FAANG (II)
• Google Looking to Future After 20 Years of Search (AFP); Google tunes search for prescience and pictures (Japan Times); Google introduces new ‘Discover’ feature as Search turns 20 (Age)
• Smart TVs get smarter as Google Assistant support rolls out (Age)
• Making Sense of Amazon’s Alexa Spaghetti Strategy (Bloomberg)
• Amazon made two moves for Deliveroo, one nine months ago – Telegraph (Reuters)
• Snapchat ties up with Amazon for point-and-buy (Reuters)
• Microsoft Rolls Out Additions to Office, Security and Cloud Offerings; Agreement with SAP, Adobe lets customers move data among platforms. (Bloomberg, Reuters)
• Apple, Salesforce team up to bring Siri to more business apps (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• ‘Made in China 2025’: how new technologies could help Beijing achieve its dream of becoming a semiconductor giant (SCMP)
• Bringing smart electronics into Chinese homes, Roome completed nearly 100 million RMB in Series A+ (KRA)
• China’s liquor B2B commerce startup Yijiupi raises $200m and becomes a unicorn (KRA)
• Regulation-hit Airbnb and rivals refresh with rural Japan listings; Countryside offers new opportunities three months after law wiped out properties (Nikkei)
• Can the Philippines produce a great social media platform? The country had been considered the world’s social media capital, but we have yet to see a major social network emerge from Filipino founders (e27)
• Hong Kong shirtmaker Esquel turns to robots to beat US tariffs (SCMP)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Ancestry creates you a custom Spotify playlist for $99 and some spit (TNW, qz)
• Symantec ends accounting probe without major revision to results (Reuters)
• What Dropbox has learnt from Atlassian (Age)
• How Dr Squatch’s 31-year-old founder makes millions selling soap online (AFR)
• Augmented reality start-up looks to recreate the shopping trip; FT Future 100 UK start-up in fast growing market for interactive consumer experiences (FT)
• Pandora Has Only Itself to Blame for Sirius Sale; The company always spent more than it made and failed to shift its business model. (Bloomberg); Sirius Steps Into Lion’s Den of Silicon Valley With Pandora Deal (Bloomberg); A Pandora Sale to SiriusXM Is Music to Investors’ Ears (Barron’s); Sirius Plunges Most Since 2011 After $3.5 Billion Pandora Deal (Bloomberg)
• What Apple and Airbnb have in common – intangible assets that power their profit margins (SCMP)
• Big Tech’s Business Model Is Broken, Report Says; Industry giants deserve tougher regulation, including scrutiny of deals that let them suck up more data (WSJ)
• Snapchat Teams Up With Amazon to Offer Image-Based Shopping (Bloomberg)
• Comcast $40 bln lunacy gives Disney shot at sanity (Reuters)

Life

• Krista Tippett podcast with Seth Godin: Life, the Internet, and Everything (On Being)
• Winner Takes it All: How Markets Favor the Few at the Expense of the Many (Farnam Street)
• a16z Podcast: Technological Trends, Financial Capital, and the Dynamics of Disruption (a16z)
• Charlie Munger Interview: China’s Weekly on Stocks (MF); Li Lu – Himalaya Capital Interview: China’s Weekly on Stocks (MF)
• Stock manipulators, beware the MAS AI arsenal (BT); MAS Outlines Enforcement Approach to Deter, Detect and Investigate Breaches of Rules and Regulations (Hubbis, MAS)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (24 September 2018) – Why the Best Things in Life Can’t Be Planned

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (24 September 2018) – Why the Best Things in Life Can’t Be Planned

Companies

• Chinese Maker of TouchPal Keyboard CooTeck Lowers US IPO Target To $57M (CMN)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Chinese Video Tech Start-Up Moviebook Raises $29.2M In Extended Series D Round (CMN)
• To Find China’s Best Driverless Technology, Look in Silicon Valley; The talent needed to give Chinese startups an edge in autonomous vehicles can’t be found in Beijing or Shanghai. (Bloomberg)
• Pioneer’s woes echo those of earlier Japanese audio legends: What became of Sansui, Nakamichi, and Akai? (Nikkei)
• Japanese smart wheelchair Whill secures $45M to expand into North America, Europe (Bridge)
• Paytm has a new strategy to beat the competition: snitching (qz)
• Singapore competition watchdog fines Grab, Uber $9.5 million over merger (Reuters)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• A Shoemaker Turns Billionaire With Luxury Goods Online Retailer Farfetch IPO (Bloomberg)
• Tech index refresh could give under-the-radar names their day in the sun (Reuters)
• Cyber security legend Ken Xie slams Fortinet’s rivals Cisco and Juniper’s attempts to buy success (AFR)
• Vox Media On Pace to Miss Revenue Target as Digital Advertising Disappoints; Other digital-media firms have struggled to live up to ambitious growth goals in a challenging online ad market (WSJ); Global spending on digital marketing nears $100 billion: study (Reuters)

Life

• Why the Best Things in Life Can’t Be Planned (Medium)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (22 September 2018) – Sinbon Electronics has unveiled its new plant in Hungary for the development and manufacturing of connectors and cables, components for new-energy vehicles and smart IoT automobiles + A 6-Part Tool for Ranking and Assessing Risks

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (22 September 2018) – Sinbon Electronics has unveiled its new plant in Hungary for the development and manufacturing of connectors and cables, components for new-energy vehicles and smart IoT automobiles + A 6-Part Tool for Ranking and Assessing Risks

Companies

• Sinbon Electronics has unveiled its new plant in Hungary for the development and manufacturing of connectors and cables, components for new-energy vehicles and smart IoT automobiles (Digitimes)
• In Korea, the Korea Credit Bureau and NICE Information Service assign everyone a credit rating between 1 and 10 based on their debt levels and overdue payments on loans, with 10 being the worst credit rating. (JA)
• The ASX’s small tech revolution. The explosive share price performances of the likes of Wisetech, Appen, Altium, Afterpay and Xero have lifted hopes of a new vanguard of ASX-listed tech names to be added to well-established icons such as digital classified businesses REA Group, Carsales and Seek. These young Turks have even earned their own acronym: the WAAAX stocks.(AFR)

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

• Meet the new Ant Financial, a technology services company (Technode)

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

• Amazon wants Alexa to hear your whispers and frustration (Wired)
• Facebook’s new dating service wants to find you love (TNW)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China’s Giant Market for Really Tiny Cars; Supersmall electric vehicles are taking over roads in some parts of China-no driver’s license needed (WSJ)
• Anant Goenka’s digital strategy has put the Indian Express Group website firmly among the top three news sites in the country (Forbes)
• Archit Gupta, founder and CEO, ClearTax, facilitate about 4 million tax filings and incorporates 200-odd companies a month. About 5% of its users pay for the assisted filling service (Forbes)
• Girish Mathrubootham: The Sa(a)Sy entrepreneur; Chennai-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup achieved an annual recurring revenue (ARR, which is subscription based) of $100 million (Forbes)
• Paytm alleges Google Pay breaching India privacy rules amid surge in digital payments; Google Pay says it shares information as per laws and after user consent (Nikkei)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Airbnb Proposes Giving Hosts a Stake in the Company; Home-sharing platform wants SEC to consider reforming shareholder eligibility rules (WSJ)
• Einstein Voice gives Salesforce users gift of gab (Techcrunch)
• Digital Freight Startup Convoy Raises $185 Million, Surpasses $1 Billion in Value; CapitalG, investment arm of Google parent Alphabet Inc., led a funding round aimed at backing the business in the growing field of digital freight booking (WSJ)
• This startup wants to become the Facebook of death (TNW)
• Is the podcast bubble bursting? (CJR)
• Billionaire Robert Smith’s Vista Equity Makes $3 Billion Selling Marketo (Forbes)

Life

• A 6-Part Tool for Ranking and Assessing Risks (HBR)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (21 September 2018) – Daifuku introduces advanced airport facility + Podcast: Rocky Marciano’s Fight for Perfection in a Crooked World

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (21 September 2018) – Daifuku introduces advanced airport facility + Podcast: Rocky Marciano’s Fight for Perfection in a Crooked World

Companies

• Daifuku introduces advanced airport facility (Yahoo)
• Japan clothing magnate Maezawa chases spot in business firmament (Reuters)
• Low-end e-commerce platform Pinduoduo enters high-end grocery delivery (Technode)
• Wang Xing, founder of Meituan Dianping, has seen his net worth surge to $5.3 billion after the initial public offering of the food delivery giant (Bloomberg); Meituan IPO shows how to tempt investor appetites (Reuters); Wang Xing: the graduate school dropout behind China’s Meituan Dianping meal-delivery empire (SCMP)
• Getac announces the K120 fully rugged tablet for public safety agencies (Digitimes)
• PCB firm Zhen Ding subsidiary starts trading on SZSE (Digitimes)
• Diode firm Eris puts increased focus on protection components (Digitimes)

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

• Alibaba’s AI Unit To Launch Hospitality Robots In October (CMN)

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

• Amazon’s New Promise Is ‘Alexa Everywhere’ (Barron’s); Amazon’s New Microwave: ‘Alexa, Please Defrost My Chicken’; New offerings include Alexa-enabled chip that manufacturers can install to control basic appliances (WSJ); Amazon Unveils New Devices to Power Smart Home With Your Voice (Bloomberg); Amazon adds Echo devices for home and car in bid to dominate voice gadgets (Reuters)
• Apple and Amazon at a Trillion $: Looking Back and Looking Forward! (Damodaran)
• Amazon Prime Video’s India mantra: “Variety is what sticks with viewers” (qz)
• How Amazon plans to battle Walmart in India (CNN)
• The Prime Effect: How Amazon’s Two-Day Shipping Is Disrupting Retail; The quest to offer fast, free delivery has triggered an arms race among the largest retailers (WSJ)
• Amazon Investment in India Ties Into Retail Chain; Deal could give the online retailer a claim to the more than 500 stores of Aditya Birla Retail (WSJ)
• Amazon’s Delivery Drones May Not Hurt UPS and FedEx After All (Barron’s)
• Amazon Could Spend $3 Billion on ‘Go’ Stores, Analyst Says (Bloomberg)
• Instagram is the most harmful social network for your mental health; Only YouTube had a net-positive effect among the respondents (qz)
• Apple Watch Should Pave Way for More Medical Gadgets, FDA Says (Bloomberg)
• Alphabet Backs GitLab’s Quest to Surpass Microsoft’s GitHub (Bloomberg)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China’s Cross-Border E-Commerce Payment Platform PingPong Raises $102M Series C Round (CMN)
• President and CTO of internet data analysis company iResearch “disappear” for investigation about fabricating market data, especially in TV ratings. (Technode)
• A peek into China’s fast-changing mobile marketing scene (Technode)
• Twitch confirms it’s been blocked in China (TNW)
• Is Chinese E-Commerce Moving Down Market? (Forbes)
• China’s rising memory chip leader won’t try to ‘crash the market’; State-backed Yangtze Memory at vanguard of Made in China 2025 says ‘We are no copycat’ (Nikkei)
• Japanese e-payment startup Origami adds UnionPay as investor (Nikkei)
• Market Kurly operator secures W67b investment (Investor)
• Buffett’s Indian pick Paytm aims to build financial-services empire; Digital payments startup looks to profit by bringing small shopkeepers online (Nikkei)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Today’s Hot Eventbrite IPO Is a Bet on the ‘Experience Economy’ (Barron’s); Eventbrite Surges in Market Debut; Gain gives ticketing and event-services company a valuation near $3.4 billion on fully diluted basis (WSJ)
• Square is considering offering investment and savings products through its Cash App (Recode)
• Smart Showers, Brainy Tubs: The Rise of the High-Tech Bathroom (WSJ)
• Online Luxury Goods Hub Farfetch’s IPO Raises $885 Million (Bloomberg)
• Medtronic Agrees to Buy Mazor Robotics in $1.6 Billion Deal (Bloomberg)
• At This High-Tech Farm, the Boss Is an AI-Powered Algorithm; Bowery Farming says its proprietary software can top the intuition of a seasoned farmer. (Bloomberg)
• Chip Stock Anxieties Revived After Micron Sales View Falls Short (Bloomberg)
• This Is the Weirdest Driverless Vehicle You’ve Ever Seen (Bloomberg)
• Yelp Soars to Three-Year High as Wall Street Warms Up to Brand (Bloomberg)
• Uber in talks to buy food delivery firm Deliveroo: Bloomberg (Reuters)
• Robocall infestation demands robot solution (Reuters)
• Adobe to buy marketing software firm Marketo for $4.75 billion (Reuters)
• Silicon Valley Waits as China’s Unicorns Race to Public Markets (Bloomberg)

Life

• Podcast #442: Rocky Marciano’s Fight for Perfection in a Crooked World (AOM)
• The decline and fall of Chinese Buddhism: how modern politics and fast money corrupted an ancient religion (SCMP)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (20 September 2018) – Koh Young Technology Highlighted Meister System at Semicon Taiwan + 14 lessons from Steve Jobs for all startup founders

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (20 September 2018) – Koh Young Technology Highlighted Meister System at Semicon Taiwan + 14 lessons from Steve Jobs for all startup founders

Companies

• Trend Micro address regional challenges with managed security service launch (CNA)
• 111 Inc.’s Xu Weihao: Online Healthcare Platform With Govt To Tackle China’s Medical Problems (CMN)
• Xiaomi CEO on the ‘life-and-death’ changes he’s making (TIA)
• Unit Of Debt-Ridden HNA Faces ‘Uncertainties’ In Buying China’s E-Commerce Site Dangdang (CMN)
• Looking back on the eve of Meituan IPO; Meituan’s ups and downs, and its eventual success. (KRA); Downbeat stock market dampens retail enthusiasm for Meituan Dianping’s US$4.2 billion IPO in Hong Kong (SCMP); Meituan IPO Fact-Checks Mobike’s Fanciful Numbers; The prospectus paints a much different picture. (Bloomberg)

• Southeast Asia’s production gains speed as China slows; Delta Electronics plans to turn affiliate Delta Electronics (Thailand) into a subsidiary to spread out its production bases, which are concentrated in mainland China and vulnerable to U.S. tariffs (Nikkei); NTU and Delta Electronics to expand joint research efforts in smart technologies (Eureka)
• Getac launches new tablet for public safety agencies (AMAR)
• Koh Young Technology Highlighted Meister System at Semicon Taiwan (iconnect)
• Workforce management software company Damstra is readying for an ASX listing next year. (AFR)
• Financial technology business Iress has integrated its Xplan financial advice software with Moneyinfo. (FTA)

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

• Jack Ma sets out his New Manufacturing vision as Alibaba announces dedicated chip unit (SCMP)
• Foreign, Korean Investors Duke It Out Over Samsung Electronics (Bloomberg)

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

• Amazon Forecast to Be No. 3 Digital Advertising Player in 2018; Tech giant expected to surpass Verizon’s Oath and Microsoft, according to new eMarketer estimates (WSJ); Amazon Increases Ad Market Share at Expense of Google, Facebook (Bloomberg)
• Amazon’s Shadow Continues to Loom Over Auto-Parts Retail (Barron’s)
• Amazon Thinks Big, and That Doesn’t Come Cheap; If the e-commerce giant goes ahead with thousands of cashierless stores, it will cost a fortune. Still sure about those profit forecasts? (Bloomberg)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• AI will drive next wave of development in human civilization: SenseTime CEO Xu Li (Technode)
• Hong Kong’s appeal as tech hub hammered by spiralling office rents and high salaries (SCMP)
• India’s Livspace raises $70M for its one-stop-shop for interior design (Techcrunch)
• Go-Jek acquires Indonesian adtech startup Promogo, introduces Go-Vend and Go-Ice; The acquisition enables Go-Jek drivers to earn extra income by having brands advertise on their vehicles, and even provide product samples in cars (e27)
• Indonesian B2B marketplace Ralali raises US$7M for Thailand expansion; Led by Japan’s SBI Group, the round also saw participation from Addventures and startup incubator-cum-investor Digital Garage (e27)
• Indonesia’s Newest Unicorn Eyes Top Slot With Help From Kiosks (Bloomberg)
• Cotton On learns secret to online payments in Malaysia; Online sales now represent about 10 per cent of total sales of $2 billion and online penetration is as high as 15 per cent for brands such as Cotton On Kids. (AFR)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Strap on the Fitbit: John Hancock to sell only interactive life insurance (Reuters)
• Why Yelp Could Rise 200% (Barron’s)
• How Artificial Intelligence Can Help Companies Surf the Wave of Big Data (Barron’s)
• Broadcom Stock Is a Cash Machine and Might Belong in Your Portfolio (Barron’s)
• Expedia Group is working with the Thai government to list more hotels outside the country’s biggest tourist hot spots on its platform, encouraging tourists to venture beyond places like Bangkok and Phuket. (Nikkei)

Life

• 14 lessons from Steve Jobs for all startup founders (TIA)
• The Demise of Blockbuster, and Other Failure Fairy Tales; When big companies collapse, the story is never simple (Medium)
• How We Spend Our Days Is How We Spend Our Lives: Annie Dillard on Choosing Presence Over Productivity (BP)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (19 September 2018) – Delta Electronics Shrinks Power Supply with Transphorm’s High-Voltage GaN FETs + Seneca quote on endurance

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (19 September 2018) – Delta Electronics Shrinks Power Supply with Transphorm’s High-Voltage GaN FETs + Seneca quote on endurance

Companies

• Trend Micro Launches Managed Detection and Response Service in Singapore and APAC (BI)
• Illinois-Based Daifuku Wynright Picks Hobart for Manufacturing Complex and Growth (OAOA)
• Kakao Games calls off IPO (Investor)
• Taiwan government mulls additional incentives for Taiwanese manufacturers to leave China; Delta Electronics, New Kinpo Group, and Merry Electronics have began to switch some of their Chinese manufacturing to Southeast Asia. (Taiwan News)
• Innodisk Moving at Full Speed towards IoT Integration at InnoTrans 2018 (PRNews)
• Sigurd enjoys strong high-end chip probing demand (Digitimes)
• Delta Electronics Shrinks Power Supply with Transphorm’s High-Voltage GaN FETs (Business Wire)

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

• Alibaba’s incoming chairman puts data at heart of business (Nikkei)
• What Alibaba’s investments say about its plans for the future (TIA)
• Jack Ma says it’s his responsibility to let Alibaba go, warns of protracted US-China trade war (SCMP)
• Of the 10 companies worth more than $100 billion that analysts predominantly rate as buy, Tencent has by some distance had the worst 2018 (Bloomberg)
• Tencent releases open platform to help drive AI projects at other companies (SCMP)

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

• Microsoft introduces HoloLens to businesses through Dynamics 365 apps (Reuters)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China Tech Inc.’s Annus Horribilis: Fully Charged (Bloomberg)
• China’s tech boom leaves wide rich-poor chasm (Nikkei)
• China’s Waymo challenger Pony.ai hits the accelerator to speed up to a robotaxi fleet of 200 (SCMP)
• Luxury e-commerce in China has loads of room to grow, thanks to the country’s tech-savvy, cash-rich millennials (SCMP)
• Octopus’ transport payment monopoly under threat? – 8 in 10 passengers would pay by e-wallet or QR code if they had the option, claims Visa (SCMP)
• Indian patient-doctor platform DocPrime gets $50M for city expansion (Techcrunch)
• China Goes for Broke in Indonesian E-Commerce: Mainland tech giants are snapping up online-retail startups, but it’ll be hard to make a profit. China’s internet giants have stakes in four of Indonesia’s five largest e-commerce operators (Bloomberg)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Why Zillow Addicts Can’t Look Away; Brokers say that Zestimates can be off base, but that doesn’t stop sellers from obsessing over what the website says their home is worth. (NYT)
• Walmart is borrowing luxury’s playbook to gain an edge on Amazon in fashion (qz)
• Food delivery start-up Postmates cracks $1bn valuation; Unicorn status reached after latest $300m fundraising. Postmates expects its footprint to grow from about half of US households now to 70-75 per cent by year’s end (FT)
• The 3D fine print (Forbes)
• The Tension Is Building Between Spotify and the Music Industry (Bloomberg)
• World Economic Forum Takes On China Tech Regulation; Its Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution will serve as a think tank and testing ground for emerging-technologies policy (WSJ)
• Indigo Raises $250 Million to Bring Tech to Big Agriculture (Bloomberg)
• Set Free by Naspers, African TV Giant MultiChoice Plots Path (Bloomberg)
• Zalando’s Real Problem Isn’t Sun. It’s Amazon: Reliance on third-party labels leaves it vulnerable to comparison shopping. (Bloomberg)
• ASML optimistic about litho equipment demand in China (Digitimes)
• Microcontroller Fortunes Rise with IoT (EETimes)

Life

• Lessons From Da Vinci on Work and Life. (Medium)
• Predicting the Future with Bayes’s Theorem (Farnam Street)
• Seneca quote on endurance (VIW)
• Seeking unpredictable value creation (II)
• Future Founders, Here’s How to Spot and Build in Nonobvious Markets (First Round)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (18 September 2018) – UUUM: The importance of change in accordance with the times + Mirror Worlds: or the Day Software Puts the Universe in a Shoebox…How It Will Happen and What It Will Mean

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (18 September 2018) – UUUM: The importance of change in accordance with the times + Mirror Worlds: or the Day Software Puts the Universe in a Shoebox…How It Will Happen and What It Will Mean

Companies

• UUUM: The importance of change in accordance with the times (Techcrunch)
• For Lifull president Takashi Inoue, emerging tech and a touch of altruism are key to success (Japan Times)
• Hikvision – Sanctions Threaten to Shoot Down China’s Spyware Star: A rare homegrown global leader runs into a U.S. backlash. (Bloomberg)

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

• Alibaba says New Retail strategy is paying off as Hema shopper data shows bigger average spending (SCMP)
• Fund transfers between Alipay and WeChat Pay around the corner as Hong Kong launches faster payments service (SCMP)

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

• Amazon Insiders Are Doing Business for Themselves; Employees are stealing internal company information for their private gain. Sound familiar? (Bloomberg)
• Nvidia Going All Robot, All the Time (EETimes)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• Speculative funds repeatedly trigger circuit breakers as Chinese start-ups endure volatile Wall Street trading (SCMP)
• ‘Made In China 2025’: a peek at the robot revolution under way in the hub of the ‘world’s factory’ (SCMP)
• AI has far-reaching consequences for emerging markets (SCMP)
• India’s Ola forays into New Zealand in latest overseas push (Reuters)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Twitter Sinks After Analyst Flags Accounting ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ (Bloomberg)
• How Pinterest Became an $11 Billion Company by Organizing the World’s Hobbies (PH)
• Zalando cuts guidance after summer heatwave lingers (Reuters)
• IKEA’s services platform TaskRabbit expands to Canada (Reuters)
• Self-Driving Cars Can Handle Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow; To help autonomous vehicles solve inclement conditions, WaveSense will sell a sensor that can see below the ground. (Bloomberg)
• Naspers Plans New Listing of Pay-TV Unit to Focus on Internet (Bloomberg)

Life

• From lab to leader: How consumer companies can drive growth at scale with disruptive innovation; In the era of “fast products” and digital disruption, delivering growth requires putting in place new predictive consumer-growth capabilities, including innovation, based on speed, agility, and scale. (McKinsey)
• Mirror Worlds: or the Day Software Puts the Universe in a Shoebox…How It Will Happen and What It Will Mean (Amazon)

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (17 September 2018) – 8K Miles & the Minority Shareholder + The Messy Middle: Finding Your Way Through the Hardest and Most Crucial Part of Any Bold Venture

H.E.R.O.’s Journey in Tech (17 September 2018) – 8K Miles & the Minority Shareholder + The Messy Middle: Finding Your Way Through the Hardest and Most Crucial Part of Any Bold Venture

Companies

• Tencent-backed news app Qutoutiao triggers circuit breaker five times as it jumps 128 per cent in volatile Wall Street debut (SCMP)
• Grahamites Reflections on JD.com: Lessons learned from my investment (GF)
• As its trading debut looms, China’s Meituan locked in battle of super-apps (Reuters)
• 8K Miles & the Minority Shareholder (Kimi)

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

• EM technology sector cut down to size as BATs reclassified; Index revamps will see IT stocks scattered as financials reclaim pole position (FT)

• Alibaba’s Taobao jumps on short video bandwagon, launches stand-alone app to drive e-commerce (SCMP)

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

• AI, VR and fintech in focus as Microsoft takes on its first Aussie start-ups (AFR)
• AI chip war heats up as Nvidia targets smart farm machinery; US company partners with Yamaha Motor as battle with Intel grows beyond car chips (Nikkei)
• Apple Plans Another Death Blow to the Phone Carriers; Even if they don’t come in this week’s iPhone launch, virtual SIMs look inevitable. (Bloomberg)
• Google Knows Where You’ve Been, but Does It Know Who You Are? (NYT)

Asia Tech & Innovation Trends

• China’s Silicon Valley Dream Bumps Against Reality; Integrating Hong Kong and mainland cities won’t be easy. (Bloomberg)
• ‘Winter is coming’ for China’s private market investors as economy slows, forcing many to adjust strategies (SCMP)
• China bet big on quantum computing. Now the US races to keep up. (CNN)
• Automation fails to win China convenience store war (Nikkei)
• Chatbots helping pull Hong Kong insurers into the digital world. Just don’t ask them for sympathy (SCMP)
• India Should Let Data Roam Free: Forcing companies to store locally will only hurt consumers and startups. (Bloomberg)
• Taking Offline Online: Paytm Mall aims to rival Amazon and Flipkart by offering competitive pricing and fast deliveries from offline stores in small cities (OB)
• Go-Jek in Talks to Raise at Least $2 Billion in Funding (Bloomberg)

Global Tech & Innovation Trends

• Uber to Invest Over $150 Million in Toronto Driverless Car Hub (Bloomberg)
• An Estonian Startup Is Undercutting Billion-Dollar Gaming Stores (Bloomberg)
• Time Magazine Acquired by the Benioffs, Founders of Salesforce.com (Bloomberg)
• Michael Burry: Where the Value Isn’t: Investor talks about accounting tricks used by tech companies (GF)
• Robinhood Investing App Secretly Makes Millions Selling Millennials’ User Data To HFT Firms (ZH)
• Tesla’s Biggest Investor Lacks Conviction in its Courage: Baillie Gifford’s endorsement of Tesla isn’t quite as glowing as you might expect. (Bloomberg)

Life

• Scott Belsky – How to Conquer the Messy Middle (#336) (Tim Ferris); The Messy Middle: Finding Your Way Through the Hardest and Most Crucial Part of Any Bold Venture Hardcover – October 2, 2018 (Amazon)
• The Trust Battery: My Interview with Shopify Founder Tobi Lütke [The Knowledge Project Ep. #41] (Farnam Street)