Tobias

Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous driving arm, plans to launch its robotaxi service in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Miami, and Orlando by 2026. This expansion follows successful testing and deployment in other major US cities. Initially, rides will be offered to employees, followed by a public launch. Waymo aims to operate vehicles without human safety drivers and build on its 10 million+ paid ride experience, despite increasing competition in the autonomous vehicle market. The strategic move targets markets with favorable regulations and tech-savvy populations.

Meta Platforms won a U.S. District Court ruling against the FTC in an antitrust case. The judge found the FTC failed to prove Meta currently holds a monopoly in social networking, particularly after acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp. The court cited the rise of TikTok and YouTube as evidence of increased competition. The FTC expressed disappointment and is reviewing options. Meta’s stock experienced a slight dip following the ruling while Meta maintains that the ruling acknowledges that it faces fierce competition.

Stocks declined, pressured by tech valuation concerns. The Club increased Home Depot, reduced Disney, capitalized on Eli Lilly, and added Nike. P&G was initiated for defensive exposure. Salesforce closed the Informatica deal early but faces investor skepticism. Meta won its antitrust battle, boosting its stock. Apple saw a surge in China iPhone 17 sales. Key events this week include earnings from TJX, Nvidia, and Palo Alto Networks, plus the Fed minutes release.

Klarna (KLAR) reported its first earnings post-NYSE debut, exceeding revenue expectations with $903 million for Q3, a 26% increase YoY. While revenue grew, the company reported a net loss of $95 million, reflecting investments in growth and a competitive BNPL landscape. US expansion fueled GMV growth significantly. The Klarna Card has gained 4 million customers. Elliott Investment Management will acquire $6.5B of Klarna’s “fair financing” loans. Klarna projects continued growth for Q4, exceeding FactSet estimates. The company is also integrating AI to improve customer service.

Intuit has partnered with OpenAI in a multi-year deal exceeding $100 million to integrate AI into its financial products like TurboTax and QuickBooks. The goal is to enhance user experience with personalized AI agents powered by OpenAI’s LLMs within Intuit’s GenOS. Users can securely connect their accounts to ChatGPT for tax-related and financial actions. Intuit emphasizes data privacy, keeping user information encrypted. This move aims to improve product development, marketing, and financial literacy, solidifying Intuit’s position in the AI-powered financial solutions market.

Stocks slid amid concerns about earnings, economic data, and AI’s impact. Tech stocks led declines, with Nvidia, Dell, and HPE falling. Apple dipped despite Alphabet rising on Berkshire Hathaway’s investment. Bitcoin dropped below $90,000. Home Depot missed earnings expectations, citing consumer uncertainty. Kevin Hassett warned AI may slow hiring. Larry Summers distanced himself after Epstein emails surfaced. Panera Bread is attempting a turnaround with its “Panera RISE” strategy. Finally, Zillow faces antitrust scrutiny, despite its disruptive impact on the real estate market.

On November 18, 2025, Cloudflare, a key internet infrastructure and cybersecurity firm, experienced a significant service outage, disrupting numerous websites globally. The disruption, traced to an oversized automatically generated configuration file, impacted platforms like Shopify, Indeed, and even Downdetector. While most services were restored within hours, the incident highlighted the reliance on intermediary services and the potential for cascading failures. The outage, which followed recent disruptions at AWS and Azure, underscores the vulnerability of concentrated internet infrastructure and raised questions about Cloudflare’s long-term stability, causing its stock to dip.

Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle unit, has launched its robotaxi service in San Francisco, challenging Waymo in a key urban market. The “Zoox Explorers” program offers free rides to select residents in designated areas. Zoox distinguishes itself with its purpose-built, steering wheel-free robotaxi design. Having also launched in Las Vegas, Zoox currently operates around 50 robotaxis. This move intensifies competition in the autonomous ride-hailing space, promising innovation in technology, safety, scalability, and regulatory frameworks.

Microsoft is diversifying its AI strategy by investing $5 billion in Anthropic, alongside Nvidia’s $10 billion stake. Anthropic commits $30 billion to Microsoft’s Azure compute and secures contracts for up to one gigawatt of compute capacity. Nvidia and Anthropic will collaborate on AI model and hardware optimization. This move follows Microsoft’s substantial investment in OpenAI, signaling a potential shift to broader AI partnerships. Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang praised Anthropic’s work.

U.S. Senators Warren and Reed are urging investigations into World Liberty Financial (WLF), a crypto firm with Trump family ties, citing potential links to illicit actors in North Korea and Russia. Concerns stem from a report alleging WLF’s tokens were sold to entities connected to sanctioned groups. Senators highlight the Trump family’s significant financial stake in WLF, raising conflict of interest concerns and questioning the adequacy of WLF’s anti-money laundering controls and its expansions. Congress has been asked for enforcement actions by December 1st.