Tobias

Microsoft denied a report that it lowered growth targets for its AI software sales, stating that neither quotas nor overall AI‑product sales goals have changed. The story alleged that most Azure Foundry sales reps missed a 50% growth target, prompting a scaled‑back quota, but Microsoft said the outlet conflated growth and quotas. Adoption of Azure Foundry faces integration hurdles, pricing concerns, and stiff competition from Google, Amazon and others. Analysts will watch conversion of pilots to contracts, deal sizes, and data‑integration improvements to gauge Microsoft’s AI‑driven growth.

Micron announced it will exit the consumer “Crucial” memory business to focus on high‑performance AI chips and high‑bandwidth memory for data‑center workloads. The shift aims to meet surging AI‑driven demand and reallocate capacity to higher‑margin segments, despite a 3% stock dip after the news. Micron now competes with SK Hynix and Samsung as the sole U.S. supplier, supporting Nvidia, AMD and Google’s AI accelerators, while analysts raise its price target amid strong cloud‑memory growth.

Macy’s beat Q3 expectations, yet its stock fell as management warned of spending headwinds; American Eagle surged on strong ad‑driven sales. Employers face mixed hiring signals, with tariffs prompting layoffs and the ADP payroll estimate under scrutiny. OpenAI feels pressure from Alphabet’s Gemini 3 and Anthropic’s IPO plans, sparking a “code‑red” push for ChatGPT upgrades. Broadcast owners Nexstar and Sinclair pursue major mergers to counter shrinking cable revenues, despite antitrust and FCC hurdles. Boeing’s shares jumped over 10% after its CFO signaled higher 2026 deliveries and timely 737‑10 certification.

Nissan is countering the 25 % U.S. auto tariff with dual sourcing and stronger local supply chains, shifting components to domestically produced or tariff‑exempt sources. It is tapping excess capacity at its three North‑American plants and using scheduled “non‑production days” to balance inventory. To mitigate chip export‑control risks, Nissan diversifies semiconductor sourcing and secures exemptions. In China, it grants local teams more autonomy to halve model‑launch cycles. Though its shares have fallen 21 % YTD, the strategy aims to protect margins, boost cash flow and support EV expansion.

Waymo announced a partnership with Uber to extend its robotaxi service in Atlanta and Austin, while human‑driver tests begin in Baltimore, Pittsburgh and St. Louis, adding to its presence in 26 U.S. cities. The company now logs over 250,000 weekly paid trips and has surpassed 10 million rides since 2020. New software upgrades improve sensor accuracy and dynamic highway routing, boosting efficiency. Analysts project Waymo could capture 5‑7 % of the U.S. ride‑hailing market by 2028, generating more than $2 billion annually, though it faces regulatory scrutiny and stiff competition from Amazon’s Zoox and Tesla’s FSD.

Verkada, a cloud‑based physical‑security startup, secured $100 million in a CapitalG‑led round, lifting its valuation to $5.8 billion. The funding will accelerate its AI product stack, complementing $1 billion in annualized bookings from 30,000 enterprise customers across retail, education and transportation. Verkada’s platform unifies cameras, sensors and access control, delivering AI features such as a Unified Timeline that stitches video clips into searchable narratives. Partnerships, like with TeraWatt, showcase AI‑driven analytics for high‑value assets.

IDC projects Apple will ship a record 247.4 million iPhones in 2025, a 6 % YoY rise driven by strong demand for the iPhone 17, especially in China where shipments could jump 17 % in Q4. The surge may enable Apple to out‑ship Samsung for the first time in 14 years and boost services revenue via new AI‑centric features. Supply‑chain partners Foxconn and Pegatron have expanded capacity, though a possible delay of the iPhone 18 could trim 2026 volumes.

French satellite operator Eutelsat’s shares dropped 7.8% after SoftBank halved its stake, selling 26 million shares. The move follows SoftBank’s shift toward AI investments. Eutelsat, which merged with OneWeb to rival Starlink, operates 600+ satellites versus Starlink’s 6,750, and has struggled in the U.S. market. A €1.35 billion French‑state injection makes the government its largest shareholder. The firm now targets high‑value B2B services—government, aviation, emergency and maritime—seeking stable cash flow amid European digital‑sovereignty support.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT experienced a brief outage on Tuesday due to a routing misconfiguration, affecting about 3,000 users before being resolved by evening. The incident follows a recent Mixpanel breach that exposed limited customer data, highlighting security challenges for AI platforms that rely on third‑party services. While the disruption underscores operational vulnerabilities for enterprise users, OpenAI’s quick response suggests improving incident management. Despite these setbacks, the platform still engages over 800 million weekly users, reinforcing its market position but prompting scrutiny of its network resilience and data‑governance practices.

Okta beat Q3 expectations with adjusted EPS of 82 c (vs 76 c) and revenue of $742 M (vs $730 M), marking 12% YoY growth and a 169% rise in net income to $43 M. Subscription revenue rose 11% to $724 M and the backlog increased 17% to $4.29 B. The company skipped FY2027 guidance, citing seasonal uncertainty, and introduced AI‑powered agents aimed at expanding its addressable market. It forecasts Q4 revenue of $748‑$750 M and EPS of 84‑85 c. Despite the beat, the stock fell >3% after hours as investors await clearer guidance.