On the surface, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew's testimony in front of the US Committee on Energy and Commerce showcased an unprecedented level of bipartisan opposition to TikTok. Below the surface lies two realities that are bigger than TikTok; First US-China tensions are increasing, and second, short-form video platforms including TikTok appear to be addictive and dangerous to the youth.

This was a big week for AI. OpenAI showed off GPT-4, a measurable step forward in terms of accuracy and creative output compared to GPT-3; Baidu announced its chatbot Ernie to mixed reviews; and Microsoft announced AI integration into the Microsoft 365 suite including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel will be available later this year. Big tech is racing to capitalize, and the economic benefit of AI will be spread across a handful of the biggest companies.

On the slim chance you haven’t heard it, this is Meta’s year of efficiency. Based on recent comments, it appears Zuckerberg has made the goal personal. I believe one of the driving reasons is for him to continue the pursuit of the metaverse he needs to improve Meta’s profitably, which will give him breathing room to invest in tech to build the metaverse and keep investors happy at the same time. Historically, it pays to bet on Zuckerberg’s mission.

Ahead of the Apple annual shareholder meeting, I've taken an inventory of recent analyst and investor commentary. There are two things that I feel are missing. First, Apple's strength of product demand and favorable economics despite the macro. Second, Apple's wide diversity across product lines, sectors, geographies, and currencies, which affords investors the safety of a consumer staples company. I also have one question to ask management at the meeting: Will Apple Car see the light of day?

Tesla’s investor day ended up being mostly about illuminating the wide lead Tesla has on other car makers. The much-anticipated topic of a Master Plan 3 outline left me with more questions than answers. We do know it will include at least two new models that are, at the earliest, a couple of years away. Big picture; investor day gave me confidence Tesla remains comfortably ahead of other automakers and has a plan for how to significantly ramp deliveries.

Redwood Materials announced conditional commitment for a $2 billion loan from the US Department of Energy, an important milestone for the company to accelerate and expand its US-based battery cell production. While still early, it appears JB Straubel is on track to build a generational company.

It's rare that I write about Apple missing a quarter. For the twenty years I've been following the company, I now count three times results have come in below expectations. As I peeled back the layers of the results along with the company's guidance, the big picture became more clear. Even though Apple's business is being negatively impacted by the supply chain and the macro, the company is maintaining innovation excellence with its core products, optionality with potential new products (AR and auto) and most importantly a loyal, engaged and growing customer base. All signs suggest sunnier days will return for Apple.