Tech

Coupang CEO Park Dae‑jun resigned three weeks after a breach exposed personal data of nearly 34 million customers, citing responsibility for the incident. Harold Rogers, the chief administrative officer, was named interim CEO to restore confidence and stabilize operations. The leak raises concerns over brand trust, regulatory penalties under South Korea’s data‑protection law, and short‑term earnings pressure. Experts stress adopting zero‑trust architecture, comprehensive encryption, and continuous threat hunting. Coupang plans to partner with security firms, implement multi‑factor authentication, and launch a user dashboard for real‑time privacy monitoring.

The Fed is expected to cut rates by 25 bps to 3.5‑3.75%, but markets will focus on its forward guidance; a hawkish tone could curb equity rallies while bonds rise. Meanwhile, the US faces a growing AI talent gap with China, which graduates four times more STEM students, threatening the US lead in AI research and chip manufacturing. Companies may need higher R&D spending and policy reforms to retain talent, and investors should favor firms with strong in‑house R&D and academic ties.

final.CNBC’s Investing Club recap notes that U.S. stocks rose on expectations of a 25‑bp Fed rate cut, with the S&P 500 above its 50‑day MA. Nvidia may sell H200 GPUs to approved Chinese buyers, potentially yielding $25‑30 bn annual revenue. Linde’s CEO bought $1 m of shares, signaling confidence. Costco lagged Walmart, trading below its 200‑day MA amid margin pressure. Cramer highlighted CVS, Toll Brothers, Marvell, Campbell Soup and PepsiCo, keeping long positions in Home Depot, Nvidia, Linde and Costco. Club alerts enforce 45‑minute and 72‑hour delays to curb front‑running.

.Nvidia received U.S. approval to export its second‑tier H200 GPUs to vetted Chinese customers for a 25 % treasury royalty, a move announced by President Trump. The H200, an upgraded version of the throttled H20, could add $25‑30 billion in revenue and lift EPS by $0.60‑$0.70, yielding a PEG below 1.0 and a forward P/E around 24×. Though Wall Street’s reaction was muted, analysts expect Chinese adoption to narrow the AI compute gap and boost Nvidia’s earnings despite lingering geopolitical risks.

words.A study by Groundwork Collaborative, Consumer Reports, and More Perfect Union found that Instacart’s AI‑driven pricing tests cause shoppers to see different prices for the same items at the same stores, with nearly 75% of products showing price variance and basket‑level swings of about 7%—potentially costing a typical household $1,200 annually. Instacart says the differences stem from limited, retailer‑run experiments that don’t use personal data. The findings arrive amid growing regulatory scrutiny of algorithmic pricing and proposed legislation to ban data‑based price discrimination.

President Trump approved Nvidia’s sale of its H200 AI chips to China for a 25 % U.S. revenue share, sparking fierce Republican backlash over potential AI and military advantages for Beijing. Senators Graham, Hawley, and others warn the advanced hardware could narrow the U.S. compute gap, aid Chinese surveillance, and be reverse‑engineered. While some Republicans, like Tillis, seek limited exports, bipartisan bills aim to block high‑performance AI chip licenses for at least 30 months. Democrats criticize the policy as risky to America’s AI leadership.

OpenAI has named Slack CEO Denise Dresser as chief revenue officer, tasking her with steering the company’s global revenue strategy and deepening enterprise relationships. Dresser, who previously helped scale Salesforce‑owned platforms, will oversee customer success and enterprise segments as OpenAI targets over $20 billion in annualized revenue and a long‑term goal of hundreds of billions by 2030. Facing mounting competition from Google and Anthropic, OpenAI is investing $1.4 trillion in infrastructure and pricing reforms to lock in large corporate accounts and expand its share of the projected $500 billion enterprise‑AI market.

The American Federation of Teachers urged the Senate Banking Committee to reject the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, calling it “irresponsible” and warning it could jeopardize pensions and economic stability. AFT President Randi Weingarten cited risks from tokenizing securities, which could bypass SEC/CFTC oversight and expose retirement plans to unsafe crypto assets. Labor groups echo these concerns, while banks and industry lobbyists push for a workable framework. The bill seeks clearer crypto regulation but may sacrifice investor protections, raising fears of fraud, regulatory arbitrage, and a potential financial crisis.

Oracle’s AI‑driven expansion has lifted its stock over 30% YTD, though October saw a 23% drop. New co‑CEOs Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia face pressure as the company prepares Q2 earnings and funds a $300 billion, five‑year OpenAI compute deal. Financing will require $20‑30 billion of debt annually, adding to $111.6 billion of existing obligations after an $18 billion bond sale. Credit investors warn of heightened risk, with CDS spreads at multi‑year highs. Analysts await proof of revenue growth—15% to $16.2 billion—and a stronger cash‑flow backbone to support the debt load.

Hinge founder Justin McLeod is leaving his CEO role, succeeded by president Jackie Jantos, to launch Overtone, an AI‑driven, voice‑enabled dating service. McLeod will advise Hinge through March while Match Group, Hinge’s parent, will lead Overtone’s seed funding in early 2026 and retain a large equity stake, with CEO Spencer Rascoff joining its board. Overtone aims to boost match quality and revenue through AI‑enhanced profiling, positioning Match Group ahead of AI disruptions in online dating.