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Amazon’s $8.5BN deal with MGM has officially closed. Not only does the acquisition open access to vaults of 4,000 film titles, 17,000 TV episodes, 180 Academy Awards and 100 Emmy Awards, it also pronounces a final departure from the era…

Meta could bring NFTs to the masses via Instagram. Mark Zuckerberg mentioned during his speech at SXSW that Instagram plans to integrate NFTs in the coming months. With over 1BN MAUs, Instagram would dwarf existing players like OpenSea (1MN) and…

Tesla raises its prices by 5-10% in part due to the high price of nickel. While this past week has included two price hikes for the company, there’s a likelihood these prices will come down again. The most recent upgrades…

Foxconn, the maker of the iPhone, plans to diversify and build a $9BN factory in Saudi Arabia. Though the company’s pledge to invest $12BN in Brazil years ago did not pan out, Foxconn opened a new plant in India in…

Over the past month, we’ve discussed tech’s role in modern warfare — it’s a dynamic that continues to evolve. Most recently, Meta announced that they will allow expressions of violence toward the Russian invasion. This is notable as it is…

The Biden administration is asking for greater regulation around cryptocurrencies. We see this as a long-term positive for the platform given that it moves crypto from a fringe value transfer to the mainstream. The Department of Justice has more questions…

Nasdaq closed down nearly 4% as investor anxiety begins to shift from the conflict in Ukraine to a global recession.  Apple has been rumored to be bidding on NFL live content. We see a big opportunity for Apple in sports…

Takeaways: Amazon is pushing the FTC for a decision on whether the agency will allow its MGM deal. All eyes are on the outcome, given it will set the pace of tech M&A over the next couple of years. Sony…

Ford’s re-org was an effort to excite investors about the company’s progress in EVs. The plan would have been better received if there was formal split of the company. Big picture: there’s lots of optimism around EVs and it will…

Gene, Doug and Andrew discuss: Most of the major U.S. tech companies are finding a way to lend a hand in Eastern Europe. The multiple examples all underscore government’s need to be cozy with Big Tech. After a few year…

Takeaways: There were reports that TSLA has plans to increase its China production from 1.1M to 2M vehicles/year. As a point of comparison, VW expected to be able to produce 1M EVs in China in 2023. Bottom line is: China is…

Gene and Doug discuss: How a global launch of Facebook Reels will further the company’s aim to rival TikTok. While TikTok has a greater pool of content creators, Facebook better understands its users’ network of friends which could be an…