Amazon Takes a Big Stake in the A.I. Start-Up Anthropic

original article: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/25/technology/amazon-anthropic-ai-deal.html With its investment of up to $4 billion, Amazon is seeking a bigger footprint in A.I. development, one already established by rivals like Microsoft and Google. Amazon said on Monday that it would invest up to $4 billion in the artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic, as the world’s biggest technology companies race to benefit from A.I. breakthroughs that could reshape parts of their businesses — and the economy as a whole. Amazon is trying to keep pace with rivals such as...

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Meet @Fiatjaf, The Mysterious Nostr Creator Who Has Lured 18 Million Users And $5 Million From Jack Dorsey

Original article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2023/05/30/bitcoin-social-network-nostr-creator-fiatjaf-/?sh=66cde06f11c0 Disenchanted with social media options like Twitter, the reclusive Bitcoin programmer tells Forbes how he designed his chat-and-payment service for people who dislike corporate control. Welsh software developer Ben Arc first encountered fellow developer known to the world only as @Fiatjaf in 2019 while hacking into a Pac-Man arcade game to make it accept bitcoin. After having difficulty using software designed to simplify the process, Arc sent a message to a mailing list for bitcoin developers looking for help....

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Walmart Business launches as a B2B ecommerce site

          Original article: https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2023/01/24/walmart-business-launches-as-a-b2b-ecommerce-site/     Walmart’s newest ecommerce site is targeting small and midsized businesses and not-for-profit organizations with more than 100,000 items ranging from office supplies to automotive and heating-and-air-conditioning products. A Walmart Business+ membership program offers free shipping and other perks. Key takeaways: Walmart Business expects to capitalize on Walmart’s existing expertise in ecommerce and fulfillment operations. Walmart is vying with Staples, Costco and others for the B2B market. Walmart figures there’s enough B2B market for both Walmart Business and Sam’s Club. The world’s largest retailer is...

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Chinese Government Buys Shares in Alibaba, Tencent, and TikTok Owner ByteDance

          Original article: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2023/01/15/ccp-shares-alibaba-tencent-bytedance/ China’s government is buying shares in Alibaba, ByteDance, Tencent, and other tech companies to give the CCP special rights over certain business decisions. The Chinese government is buying shares, usually a 1% holding in a vital area, in tech companies like Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent to be more deeply involved in their businesses, according to a report from the Financial Times. These shares are known as “special management shares” that enable the government to make certain decisions at these companies,...

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The era of DTC brands is over. Here’s what the next generation of startups looks like.

      Original article: https://www.fastcompany.com/90828954/era-of-dtc-brands-is-over-heres-what-the-next-generation-of-startups-looks-like   For a decade, DTC startups like Warby Parker and Everlane created a playbook for how to launch a successful brand. A new generation of founders wants to chart a different path.
When fashion industry veteran Marina Larroudé decided to launch her eponymous line of heels in 2020, she made the deliberate decision not to follow in the footsteps of fast-growing direct-to-consumer shoe startups like M.Gemi, Tamara Mellon, and Rothy’s.
She wasn’t interested in copying their business model of...

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Good News for Amazon Stock: E-Commerce Is Turning the Corner

        Original article: https://www.fool.com/investing/2022/12/20/good-news-for-amazon-e-commerce-is-turning-corner/   One analyst thinks e-commerce growth is starting to accelerate. Amazon (AMZN 4.62%) is one of the best-performing stocks of the last generation, but its 2022 returns are a reminder that past performance isn't a guarantee of future returns. Shares of the tech giant are closing out the year down nearly 50% as it's faced a slew of challenges that have left it looking decidedly vulnerable.

The company is closing warehouses and laying off 10,000 corporate employees. It's shuttering once-promising businesses like Amazon...

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TikTok Shop’s GMV in SEA topped US$4.4 billion in 2021

      Original article: https://www.techinasia.com/bytedance-sees-208b-spending-douyins-ecommerce-service The gross merchandise volume of TikTok Shop – the short-video app’s ecommerce arm – in Southeast Asia reached US$4.4 billion in 2021, The Information reported, citing two sources briefed on the numbers. Since early 2022, TikTok Shop has moved quickly and aggressively in the region to roll out new features, offer incentives, and seal partnerships with ecommerce enablers and logistics partners, as Tech in Asia previously reported Sources also told The Information that ByteDance –...

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TikTok time for music streaming?

        TikTok parent company ByteDance is looking to expand to become a music distribution platform, WSJ citing anonymous sources. The company's Resso streaming service currently only serves India, Indonesia and Brazil. But plans are in the works to extend to over a dozen more markets, eventually going global — competing with the likes of Apple Music and Spotify. ByteDance grew 80% to $61.7 billion in 2021, and an expansion of its streaming service would further drive revenue and keep users on...

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TikTok chases Amazon with plans for U.S. fulfillment centers

          TikTok is planning to build its own product fulfillment centers in the U.S., creating an e-commerce supply chain system that could directly challenge Amazon, as indicated by more than a dozen new job openings posted in the past two weeks to LinkedIn. Why it matters: The move signifies TikTok's commitment to e-commerce as its next major revenue stream, following the explosive growth of its ads business.
  • "By providing warehousing, delivery, and customer service returns, our mission is to help sellers improve...

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Flora Raises $9M to Build the First Technology-driven Sustainable E-commerce Platform

        Flora provides greater access to sustainable products to over 300 thousand customers at affordable prices and saves 10 thousand tons of CO2 emissions annually. SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Flora, a technology-driven sustainable e-commerce platform, emerged from stealth mode today to announce that it has raised $9 million in seed funding from prominent Silicon Valley investors, including Lux CapitalCorrelation VenturesClimate Capital, and Gokul Rajaram. Flora acquires, reinvents, and grows sustainable brands with a mission to provide greater access to sustainable products...

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