Monthly Archives

Going where no company… has gone before by losing over $100B in market value in just one day. Only two companies have come even remotely close to such a staggering figure. And those two losses were brought to you by Intel (-$90,737B) and Microsoft (-$80,025B) in 2000. It has been a minute since we have seen a company lose such enormous value so quickly.

What caused it… well, the company posted weaker-than-expected revenue and less-than-stellar global daily active users, a significant figure for the company. You can chalk much of that up to the data leaks and fake news scandals. Facebook also expects revenue growth to slow down for Q3 and Q4 – more unwelcome news for investors.

There is turbulence ahead… and several analysts downgraded the stock due to high levels of uncertainty for Facebook. Today was a day that Mark Zuckerberg probably wishes he had stayed in bed for. And you thought you had a lousy day…

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Goodbye, passwords… and your ‘at-least eight characters, special characters, numbers, change every 90 days’ ways. Those things are impossible to keep up with. Thankfully, Google has a solution with plug-in security keys. The device resembles a USB stick and plugs directly into your computer. Not only can you bypass typing in a password, but the plug-in also provides an encryption key for you and your device that renders criminals useless.

Even safer… than the simplest possible password you came up with and probably use for everything. Google has already been using their new product and has seen zero employees fall victim to phishing scams since – not a bad track record. That type of success should catch the attention of other companies that hire gullible employees to work with priceless information.

Just one method… of two-factor authentication involves the plug-in and you will still need a second. The fact is, two-factor is much more secure than one single way of keeping your information safe. Other methods include receiving a security code on your phone and biometric options (i.e., your fingerprint). But hey, it is a step toward not having to remember a thousand different passwords, so I will take it.

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Well, sort of… the company is driving customers in Chandler, Arizona from their homes to the store to pick-up online grocery orders. The fun part? Walmart is using Waymo’s self-driving Chrysler Pacifica vans – and the groceries will be delivered to the van when you get there.

A learning experience… is what this is, according to Walmart. Customers get to enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience, and the retail giant gets to see if this is a good idea. Regardless, autonomous vehicles may be an essential part of the future, and Walmart is striving to stay ahead.

You probably won’t get to try… because only 400 people can participate in the program, for now. We also have no idea how this program will last or if it will be expanded to other parts of the country. But at least one Arizona town can beat the heat stroke by taking a Waymo car rather than their own that has undoubtedly been baking in the sun.

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Gimme a break… is what Nestle is saying after being denied legal protection for their iconic ‘KitKat’ chocolate bar. They were unable to persuade a judge that the design is indeed proprietary. The ruling itself is likely to cost Nestle the trademark in the European Union.

Ten years… is how the legal battle, stemming from the configuration of a candy bar, has been going on. If that sounds weird – it is a little. However, the time, money, and effort put forth by Nestle shows just how vital and valuable trademarks are.

And Nestle isn’t done… because they think this is really important. To be clear, this battle is over a trademark in the European Union. The shape of a KitKat has been successfully trademarked in Australia, Canada, and France. Looks like the candy bar that is synonymous with ‘gimme a break’ is looking for one right about now.

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Starbucks and McDonalds are saying no… to plastic which is great for the environment. However, why should we stop at plastic straws? That is just what entrepreneur Christina Ramirez wondered – and when there’s a problem, any good entrepreneur will create a profitable solution. But rather than focusing on plastic straws, Ramirez is looking at recreating the toothbrush.

Ultra Plus is the name… of the company that makes bamboo toothbrushes that are sold in 320 retail stores, including Amazon. By 2050, it is estimated that there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans, making the bamboo toothbrush even more appealing. Unlike plastic toothbrushes, bamboo ones are 99% biodegradable and won’t become plastic waste floating the ocean.

Here are the numbers… starting with 150 million which accounts for all of the plastic already floating in our oceans. You will use about 300 toothbrushes in your lifetime at a rate of around 4 toothbrushes per year. Thus, each of us will be responsible for 12 pounds of plastic waste by using plastic toothbrushes. Ramirez has sold thousands of her eco-friendly toothbrushes, saving at least 1,000 tons of plastic waste from entering the ocean.

Technology is pushing finance higher… especially for companies like Visa and Mastercard. Nominal person expenditures, or things people spend on goods and services, has gone down once in 60 years. So, how resilient is fintech you ask? Visa shares are up 43% over the past 12 months and Mastercard shares are up 61%. In contrast, the S&P 500 is up just 14% over the same time period.

Have you ever been to… a place that accepts cash-only? If you are anything like most people on the planet, you often find yourself without cash-on-hand and such a policy is a highly inconvenient surprise. This is because consumers are using digital payment options, not cash, nowadays. Even better, finance companies are creating more electronic business-to-business payment options.

The same way you pay… should be the same was businesses pay, according to James Anderson of Mastercard. These new payments method could even save businesses money compared to check writing or wire transfer options. In fact, why hasn’t this been a thing for years now?

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Yes, trillion with a ‘T’… is what many believe Microsoft will be worth after the company’s latest earnings results. Analysts have taken notice, raising price targets from $123 to $130 – to be worth $1 trillion Microsoft’s share price would need to hit $130.16.

Here’s how they are doing it… the company has shifted from selling software to a subscription-based cloud model. Azure cloud, business subscription to Office 365, and Dynamics 365 software were responsible for 25% of the company’s total revenue, up 3%. And not only is the cloud business growing, it appears to be adding to older products, such as Windows, rather than hurting it.

But there are concerns… such as whether Azure can reach the same level as Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS was performing better when it was the same size as Azure is now. In other words, just because AWS has been a huge success does not mean Azure will do the same. We’re not saying that won’t happen – but don’t start counting your trillions of dollars just yet, Microsoft.

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In 30 years… when most of us will be in our fifties (or beyond) we can do what all old people do – reference things that young people never knew existed. I think the millennial generation will include CD players, movie rental chains, and possibly rental car companies, to name a few. However, down 25% this year, rental car company Avis aims to avoid becoming just another part of an old person’s [deteriorating] memory.

We are skeptical because of… Uber and Lyft – who else? Investors are asking that same question. However, according to Avis CEO Larry De Shon, there is no need to be skeptical about his company’s long-term viability. City dwellers, businesspeople, and families all have use for renting a car rather than Uber-ing from place to place. Short-term trips that rideshare companies can often accommodate account for only 3% of rental business at Avis.

Avis won’t be left behind… and taken steps to adapt their business to changing customer needs, such as acquiring Zipcar in 2012, a company that provides rental cars at hourly rates. The rental-car company also has a partnership with Waymo, the self-driving subsidiary of Google. These changes, and more, should be enough to boost customer satisfaction and profits. Maybe rental-car companies aren’t destined to be forgotten after all.

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It’s worth the trouble… to the point that Mastercard won a license to allow customers the ability to charge purchases using bitcoin as a currency. Currently, cardholders can only use a currency that the government has declared a legal tender.

But there are problems… including the fact that digital coin transactions take about 10 minutes to process. So currently, there are two options: the merchant trusts that you aren’t ripping them off (not gonna happen) or you stand there awkwardly for 10 minutes. But we all know that cryptocurrency is a work-in-progress, right?

A possible solution… because Mastercard could speed the process up by allowing you to instantly pay for things on a credit card with a fraction of your digital currency. However, just because there is a patent doesn’t mean it will ever happen. Regardless, this is still significant because it validates cryptocurrency even further – and we can believe it’s not just for [insert illegal activity here].

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