The Daily Upside

Google Wants to Use Context to Drop Wakewords

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Without a wakeword, a digital assistant has to monitor its users more closely.

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Visa Takes Biometrics On-the-Go Without Privacy Issues

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

The patent could add another form of frictionless payment to the landscape, and present competitors to Apple Pay and Amazon’s Just Walk Out.

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Uber, Lyft Drivers to Spend Valentine’s Day on Strike

Photo by War on Want via CC BY 2.0

Thousands of gig-economy workers plan to walk out on Wednesday in a bid for higher wages.

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Temu Picks Up Suppliers Jilted by Rival Shein

Photo by Dick Thomas Johnson via CC BY 2.0

The e-commerce upstart has been able to acquire supply chains left behind as Shein polishes its images ahead of a possible IPO.

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ESG Hiring Isn’t What It Used to Be

Photo by Mariana Proença via Unsplash

Facing the need to cut costs and amid swirling political backlash, many companies are shrinking roles dedicated to governance issues.

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Texas Oil Rivals Hook Up In Another Massive Energy Merger

Photo by Roy Luck via CC BY 2.0

Diamondback Energy is picking up Endeavor in a deal that will create a $50 billion player in the Permian Basin.

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Selling Cost-Consciousness is at the Forefront of Earnings Season

Photo by Tara Winstead via Pexels

Companies are consistently tossing out the phrase “operational efficiency” to show investors they’re protecting profit margins.

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Nvidia CEO Expects AI to Get Cheaper as Computing Power Expands

Photo by Maurizio Pesce via CC BY 2.0

Jensen Huang seems to think that Sam Altman’s quest for $7 trillion to invest in AI chips is maybe a little overkill.

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Roku Patent Could Make Ads Better Without Violating User Privacy

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Roku wants its previews to make you feel the same way the movie does.

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US Lenders Have $1 Trillion Tied Up in Shadow Banks

Photo by Ernie Journeys via Unsplash

The total reflects big banks’ increasing use of alternative financial institutions that are using the funds for riskier bets.

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Amazon Prime Scores NFL Playoff Game for 2024 Season

Photo by Norbert Braun via Unsplash

After a trial run with Peacock, the league will step up to a bigger base of streaming spectators.

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Nvidia’s Neural Network Patent Adds to AI Software Expansion

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Nvidia may use AI to troubleshoot its games with its patent to analyze and respond to feedback using neural networks.

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Psychedelic Biotech Firms Record Major Fundraising Mark

Photo by Egor Kamelev via Pexels

The growing sector scored its second-highest month ever for total money-raising.

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Baidu’s Data Generation Tech May Sharpen its Self-Driving Reflexes

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Baidu’s patent to tune up self-driving cars could help its fleet account for crazy drivers.

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Will Hollywood’s Labor Peace Be Short-Lived?

Photo illustration by Connor Lin / The Daily Upside

This year, a slew of unions representing Hollywood’s less heralded below-the-line workers have their turn at the negotiating table

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Big Brands Gear Up For Another Super Bowl Ad Rush

Photo by Erik Drost via CC BY 2.0

The cost of a 30-second spot is going up, and so is the use of celebrity endorsers.

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Top US VC Firms Invested Billions in Problematic Chinese Startups

Photo by government.ru via CC BY 4.0

A House committee report says that big investors were helping grow Chinese companies that were tied to rights abuses.

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Meta and TikTok Take EU to Court Over Content Moderation Fees

Photo by Alexandre Lallemand via Unsplash

The sector’s top platform say that Europe’s decision to charge fees based on profit could distort which sites need policing.

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Ford Balances Charging Demand to Get More EVs on the Road

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

The lack of charging infrastructure in the US has hurt consumer sentiment towards EVs. Ford may be looking at ways to fix it.

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New York Community Bank Scrambles for Stability

Photo by Tdorante10 via CC BY-SA 4.0

The company’s stock reversed a weeklong decline, as it prepares to shift leadership and offload riskier assets.

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Advisor Upside

Financial advisor news, market insights, and practice management essentials.

Can ‘Terror Management Theory’ Explain Inheritance Spending?

Photo by Yunus Tuğ via Unsplash

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Meet the BlackRock ETF Taking Aim at Invesco’s QQQ

Photo via Erik McGregor/Sipa USA/Newscom

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Neurocrine Scoops Up Hunger-Drug Maker in Latest Multi-Billion-Dollar Pharma Deal

Photo via Andre M. Chang/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

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