Business Buzz
By Michael Hartley CFP® | A collection of the latest articles to help you spot business news, trends, and tools. Curated by DKE Inc. www.dkeadvisorsolutions.com
Here's how the Alexa spying scandal could become Amazon's worst nightmare
An Amazon Echo device r ecorded a couple having a private conversation and sent it to someone in their contact list.<p>Here's what happened, according to Amazon:<p>Amazon says this type of thing is an "extremely rare occurrence," and that the company "takes privacy very seriously," and is "taking steps …
Amazon EchoWalt Disney vs. Comcast: The Fox Drama Continues
Another round has been completed in the epic battle of our time -- no, not the Rebels versus the Dark Side but rather Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) versus …
Apple won $539 million from Samsung in a patent lawsuit — an amount that's barely noticeable against Apple's net profts
The $539 million that Apple won in its patent infringement case against Samsung is fairly insignificant compared to the some $300 million of profit Apple has made in the years since it filed the suit in 2011. The money is nice, but for Apple, the real victory probably comes from the principle of …
PatentsData Sheet—Nordstrom Turns to Tech to Help Revive Department Store Business
<i>This is the web version of Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the top tech news. To get it delivered daily to your in-box,</i> <i>sign up here</i><i>.</i><p>The …
Mad MenU.S. jury fails to reach verdict in latest J&J talc trial
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A South Carolina jury on Friday could not agree on a verdict in a case of a woman whose family said her long-term use of Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder led to her death from asbestos-related cancer, resulting in a mistrial.<p>The case of Bertila Boyd-Bostic, who died of a rare …
BiomedicinePinterest 2017 Sales Rise 58 Percent to $473 Million
Pinterest Inc. sales jumped 58 percent to $473 million last year after marketers spent more on its digital ads, people familiar with the matter …
Venture CapitalMassive Reversal: Google Home Sales Explode 483% To Beat Amazon Echo For Smart Speaker Crown
In the first quarter of 2017, Amazon owned almost 80% of the smart speaker market, while Google sipped up just 19.3%. But in the same quarter this year, Google sold more than a third of all smart speakers, while Amazon’s share plummeted to 27.7%.<p>That’s a massive reversal.<p>And it’s in the …
Amazon EchoTesla hires new chief financial officer for China
(Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) on Friday announced a number of key executive hires including former GE and General Motors executive James Zhou as its China CFO and Neeraj Manrao, a former Apple executive, as director of energy manufacturing.<p>Zhou previously served as CFO for Asia Pacific and India …
TeslaMaersk raises shipping rates as oil price spike bites
The world’s biggest container shipping group Maersk Line told customers it is raising prices in response to increased marine fuel costs, showing how …
Crude Oil PricesVW CEO counts on diplomacy to ease trade spat with U.S.
BERLIN -- Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess is hopeful that diplomacy can help defuse trade tensions with the United States, which is exploring putting …
Trump AdministrationT-Mobile says ex-Trump campaign manager advising on Sprint merger
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - T-Mobile US (TMUS.O) said it is getting advice on its proposed $26 billion merger with Sprint Corp (S.N) from a lobbying firm whose staff includes several members of President Donald Trump's election team such as former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.<p>Lewandowski is among …
Donald TrumpBest Buy Continues to Impress
There were some issues with Best Buy's first-quarter report, but things are mostly going right for the retailer.<p>Investors didn't seem to like <b>Best …
InvestingGap plunges on earnings (GPS)
• <b>Gap is down almost 14% after missing its first-quarter earnings.</b>• <b><br>The Gap brand continued to weigh on margins even as Old Navy and Athleta showed strong performance.</b>• <b><br>Jefferies believes the company needs reduce exposure to the Gap brand at a faster pace and allocate capital to the Old Navy and Athleta</b> …
MarketsDeal dead with investor for Alaska mine project near fishery
A Canadian company that was courted as a potential partner in a proposed copper-and-gold mine near one of the world's largest salmon fisheries in Alaska has backed away from the project.<p>Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd., which is seeking to develop the Pebble Mine project in southwest Alaska, said …
EPAApple to Close Atlantic City Store, Cutting 52 Employees
Apple Inc. said it is closing a retail store in Atlantic City, New Jersey, resulting in a rare but small round of job cuts by the world’s largest …
New JerseyTesla brings on new VP of engineering from Snap
Tesla announced a number of new hires today, including Stuart Bowers, who is joining as VP of engineering. Bowers is joining Tesla from Snap, where he worked as VP of monetization engineering. Other new hires include Neeraj Manrao, who left Apple to become Tesla’s director of energy manufacturing, …
TeslaAmazon is taking its package-delivery tracking to the next level
We have all, on the day we’re expecting a package, gone to Amazon’s “track package” page and refreshed, only to be rewarded, every time, with “Delivery expected by 8pm.”<p>But this week Amazon is rolling out a new feature that allows customers to track packages on a map when the package is within 10 …
eCommerceGoogle and LG Display have made the highest resolution VR screen yet
Google and LG Display have joined forces to design the clearest OLED display to date. The 4.3-inch screen, which Google recently revealed at Display Week, is designed to push the boundaries of VR image quality with an incredible 1,443 ppi resolution. For comparison, Japan Display Inc unveiled its …
Virtual RealityElon Musk Shares Incredible Tesla Powerwall Stats from Puerto Rico
The Powerwall is powering an energy revolution.<p>Tesla Powerwall is helping to harness a new generation of renewable energy. On Friday, CEO Elon Musk …
Puerto RicoFacebook, Google face first GDPR complaints over ‘forced consent’
After two years coming down the pipe at tech giants, Europe’s new privacy framework, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is now being applied — and long time Facebook privacy critic, Max Schrems, has wasted no time in filing four complaints relating to (certain) companies’ ‘take it or …
PrivacyStudy: Early AI adopters may gain "insurmountable advantage"
A pecking order is evolving in the newest stage of the digital era: aggressive early adopters of artificial intelligence are reporting elevated …
Artificial IntelligenceThe Inside Story of Wawa, the Beloved $10 Billion Convenience Store Chain Taking Over the East Coast
54 years old. $10 billion in revenue. This family-owned business is rapidly expanding--and ditching gas and cigarettes for kale salads and nerdy coffee.<p>In February, a few days after the Philadelphia Eagles had won their first Super Bowl, a suburban convenience store celebrated. Hard.<p>The …
Customer ServiceWhy Tiffany & Co. Stock Skyrocketed Today
The luxury jewelry specialist delivered a beautiful quarter. Here's what investors need to know.<p>What happened<p>Shares of <b>Tiffany & Co.</b> (NYSE:TIF) jumped …
InvestingUber valued at about $62B in new offer to buy company stock
Three investors are looking to buy stakes in Uber in an offer that values the company at $62 billion.<p>The ride-hailing giant said Wednesday the investors want to buy up to $600 million worth of the private company's stock. They're offering $40 per share, giving Uber a valuation that's nearly 30 …
South-east AsiaNYT: Apple signs with Volkswagen to make self-driving cars
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has signed a deal with Volkswagen (OTCPK:VLKAY) to make self-driving cars, <i>The New York Times</i> reports, in a bit of a setback from …
Autonomous CarsUber turned a profit thanks to its deals in Southeast Asia and Russia
The company saw $2.5 billion in profits on $2.6 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2018.<p>Under new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s business is continuing to grow as it curbs its losses.<p>The company saw $2.6 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2018, up from $2.4 billion in the last …
StartupsThere’s only one untainted “Big Four” accounting firm left to audit Malaysia’s scandal-ridden wealth fund
Malaysia’s new finance minister today appointed the accounting firm PwC to audit the finances of 1MDB, a scandal-hit state wealth fund—but he never really had much choice. It’s the only remaining “Big Four” accounting firm that isn’t tainted by the allegations of corruption engulfing 1MDB, the news …
CorruptionSquare launches its Square Stand payments system in the UK
Square, the payments company founded by Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, is aggressively expanding in the UK. Today, it announced the British launch of the Square Stand, which turns an iPad into a full point-of-sale (POS) system.<p>The Square Stand lets vendors process card payments, track sales, and manage …
FinTechKroger to buy Home Chef meal kits in deal worth up to $700 million
Kroger Co. on Wednesday announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Chicago-based meal kit company, Home Chef, in a deal that could total $700 million.<p>The Cincinnati-based grocery giant would pay an initial purchase price of $200 million and up to an additional $500 million in "earnout" …
Kroger