is editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Year after year, we mostly know what to expect from our smartphone upgrades. Galaxy, iPhone, Pixel, or whatever else, everything seems to get slightly be...
is editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Year after year, we mostly know what to expect from our smartphone upgrades. Galaxy, iPhone, Pixel, or whatever else, everything seems to get slightly better (and occasionally more expensive) without many surprises in store. That’s not to say there are no new ideas left in smartphones, though. You just have to know where to look. Verge subscribers, don’t forget you get exclusive access to ad-free Vergecast wherever you get your podcasts. Head here. Not a subscriber? You can sign up here. After that, The Verge’s Jess Weatherbed joins the show to discuss the hottest new mobile accessory: gadget straps. These simple gizmos have been popular around the world for some time and have recently made a splash in the US after Apple started shipping its crossbody strap. Jess explains why these straps are so useful and why lots of people actually want their phone dangling on their hip all day. Finally, The Verge’s Jay Peters helps David answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com) about the metaverse. First of all, what is the metaverse? And second of all, is the ultra-immersive, all-consuming metaverse still coming? We have an answer for one question and an existential crisis for the other. If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started:
The post After 1,600% Growth, Nasdaq Ticker Reserved. Private Round Closing March 19th by Benzinga Contributors appeared first on Benzinga . Visit Benzinga to get more great content like this. Benzinga Money is a reader-supported publication. We may earn a commission from the advertisers associated with this article. Read our Advertiser Discloser . The most valuable companies in entertainment are ...
The post After 1,600% Growth, Nasdaq Ticker Reserved. Private Round Closing March 19th by Benzinga Contributors appeared first on Benzinga . Visit Benzinga to get more great content like this. Benzinga Money is a reader-supported publication. We may earn a commission from the advertisers associated with this article. Read our Advertiser Discloser . The most valuable companies in entertainment are built on ownership. That principle has defined the rise of companies like Disney and Marvel—where control of characters, not just content production, enabled decades of recurring revenue across media, consumer products, and licensing. Now ownership is going to the next level as evidenced in Paramount’s $100 billion dollar bid for Warner Brothers. This is the strategy behind Elf Labs , a privately held IP company that has spent more than a decade securing rights to some of the most recognizable characters in history. After recently reserving its Nasdaq ticker ($ELFS) and reporting valuation growth exceeding 1,600% in under two years , Elf Labs is beginning to draw increased attention from investors tracking pre-IPO investment opportunities usually reserved for elite venture capital firms. A Decade Spent Securing Character IP Rather than starting with content and building brands later, Elf Labs focused first on legal ownership. Over a ten-year effort, the company secured 500+ protected trademarks and copyrights tied to globally recognized characters, including Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, and others. This foundation gives Elf Labs the ability to license, adapt, and commercialize its characters across global markets—without relying on third-party rights holders. That strategy has already produced results. Elf Labs has generated more than $15 million in royalties to date and expanded its licensing footprint into 30+ countries , with over 100 product lines currently in development across consumer goods, media, and interactive formats. While major...
In this article WBD PSKY NFLX Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT watch now VIDEO 0:47 00:47 FCC Chair: Paramount deal for WBD is a lot 'cleaner' Squawk Box Europe FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has told CNBC that Paramount's bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery is "cleaner" than Netflix's , adding he expected it to be approved "pretty quickly." "There's a lot of concerns when Netflix was the ...
In this article WBD PSKY NFLX Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT watch now VIDEO 0:47 00:47 FCC Chair: Paramount deal for WBD is a lot 'cleaner' Squawk Box Europe FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has told CNBC that Paramount's bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery is "cleaner" than Netflix's , adding he expected it to be approved "pretty quickly." "There's a lot of concerns when Netflix was the potential buyer there," Carr said on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday. "That particular combination raised a lot of competition concerns." Paramount Skydance put in a revised offer to buy the entirety of WBD last week at $31 per share, up from $30 per share, which the WBD board deemed superior to an existing Netflix proposal. Netflix had been set to buy the media giant's studio and streaming businesses for $27.75 per share, but said this was "no longer financially attractive" in light of Paramount's offer. Carr spoke with CNBC's Arjun Kharpal in a wide-ranging discussion about the WBD-Paramount merger , which requires regulators' signoff. Carr told CNBC that Netflix "would have a very difficult path" getting regulatory approval, adding that Paramount's was "a lot cleaner, does not raise at all the same types of concerns." "I think there's some real consumer benefits that can emerge from it," he added. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr testifies during the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing titled "Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission," in Rayburn building on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Both deals raised antitrust questions around the U.S. theatrical industry, prompting concerns over potential job losses or smaller film slates in Hollywood. Netflix's proposed combination also spurred questions around streaming dominance , as it would have brought together two of the most popular streaming services in Netflix and WBD's HBO Max. On Monday, Para...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 8 a.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — Badar Khan Chief Financial Officer — Keefer Lehner Operator Takeaways Total revenue -- $384 million for 2025, up 50% with growth in all three revenue categories. -- $384 million for 2025, up 50% with growth in all three revenue categories. Q4 revenue -- $118 million, representing a 75% in...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 8 a.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — Badar Khan Chief Financial Officer — Keefer Lehner Operator Takeaways Total revenue -- $384 million for 2025, up 50% with growth in all three revenue categories. -- $384 million for 2025, up 50% with growth in all three revenue categories. Q4 revenue -- $118 million, representing a 75% increase, supported by gains in charging, Xtend, and ancillary segments. -- $118 million, representing a 75% increase, supported by gains in charging, Xtend, and ancillary segments. Charging network revenue -- $218 million for 2025, up 40%; Q4 charging network revenue of $64 million rose 37%. -- $218 million for 2025, up 40%; Q4 charging network revenue of $64 million rose 37%. Adjusted EBITDA -- $12 million for the full year, achieving breakeven and turning positive for the first time; Q4 adjusted EBITDA of $25 million included a $24 million contract buyout but remained positive without it. -- $12 million for the full year, achieving breakeven and turning positive for the first time; Q4 adjusted EBITDA of $25 million included a $24 million contract buyout but remained positive without it. Charging network gross profit margin -- 39% for 2025, expanding by 170 basis points; Q4 margin reached 46%, up 560 basis points. -- 39% for 2025, expanding by 170 basis points; Q4 margin reached 46%, up 560 basis points. Total energy dispensed -- 366 gigawatt-hours on the network for 2025, a 32% annual increase; Q4 throughput was 99 gigawatt-hours, up 18%. -- 366 gigawatt-hours on the network for 2025, a 32% annual increase; Q4 throughput was 99 gigawatt-hours, up 18%. Stall deployment -- 5,100 stalls in operation at year-end following a 500-stall Q4 deployment; over 1,200 new stalls added during 2025, marking a record quarter. -- 5,100 stalls in operation at year-end following a 500-stall Q4 deployment; over 1,200 new stalls added during 2025, marking a record quarter. Customer base -- 1,6...
$5 gas has become a more frequent part of the American conversation about what it will cost to drive a car in the US if the war in the Middle East escalates or lasts more than a few weeks. Some calculations put the difference between gas at $2.95 a gallon (where it was recently nationwide) ... $5 Gas And Tesla Windfall
$5 gas has become a more frequent part of the American conversation about what it will cost to drive a car in the US if the war in the Middle East escalates or lasts more than a few weeks. Some calculations put the difference between gas at $2.95 a gallon (where it was recently nationwide) ... $5 Gas And Tesla Windfall
To a master-data-cruncher like Slok, it doesn’t make much sense that AI expectations have “sparked a macro conversation about a coming rise in the unemployment rate,” given that he sees no change in the “underlying incoming economic story of a strong U.S. economy driven by AI spending, the industrial renaissance and the One Big Beautiful Bill.” Slok added that he thinks this narrative is wrong, th...
To a master-data-cruncher like Slok, it doesn’t make much sense that AI expectations have “sparked a macro conversation about a coming rise in the unemployment rate,” given that he sees no change in the “underlying incoming economic story of a strong U.S. economy driven by AI spending, the industrial renaissance and the One Big Beautiful Bill.” Slok added that he thinks this narrative is wrong, that AI adoption will take much longer than the next 12 to 18 months mentioned in these viral essays, and the risk of an overheating economy is larger than, say, unemployment going to 10%. Torsten Slok, the influential chief economist at Apollo Global Management , wrote in his Daily Spark on Saturday that “the dramatic change in recent weeks in the narrative in markets from ‘the economy is strong’ to ‘we are all becoming unemployed’ is truly remarkable.” He argued that markets are beginning to believe the view of “techno-optimists” about AI’s productive capabilities over the consensus of the Federal Reserve and economists. Walker’s analysis adds some real meat to a debate that has rocked Wall Street—and many retail traders’ portfolios—as several viral doomsday essays about AI eating the economy trickled into actual stock-market volatility. AI executive Matt Shumer and the top finance Substack, Citrini Research , both warned that AI will be much more capable of doing white-collar work, and much sooner, than many people think. Top executives including Microsoft’s Mustafa Suleyman (“human-level performance on most, if not all professional tasks” will be automated), Amazon’s Andy Jassy (“you won’t need as many human beings”) and JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon (“now’s the time to start thinking about it”) added their voices to the chorus. In a research note analyzing fourth-quarter earnings, senior U.S. economist Ronnie Walker noted that discussions surrounding AI completely overshadowed what was fundamentally a strong quarter, with core corporate revenues (excluding the energy sector) gr...
iQoncept/iStock via Getty Images Short sellers heavily ramped up their positions in small-cap biotech and health-tech by February month-end, creating a notable spike in bearish sentiment for healthcare stocks with market caps under the $2 billion threshold. Data as of February 28 reveals that SCWorx ( WORX ) has emerged as the most shorted stock in the sub-$2 billion market cap category, carrying ...
iQoncept/iStock via Getty Images Short sellers heavily ramped up their positions in small-cap biotech and health-tech by February month-end, creating a notable spike in bearish sentiment for healthcare stocks with market caps under the $2 billion threshold. Data as of February 28 reveals that SCWorx ( WORX ) has emerged as the most shorted stock in the sub-$2 billion market cap category, carrying a substantial 47.98% short interest. This negative sentiment extends to other prominent biotech names, including KalVista Pharmaceuticals ( KALV ) and Intellia Therapeutics ( NTLA ), which currently see short interest levels of 39.16% and 38.31%, respectively. Conversely, downward speculation is nearly non-existent for several firms. Regional Health Properties ( RHEP ) and Connect Biopharma Holdings ( CNTB ) are among the least-shorted in the sector, reporting short interest levels of just 0.50% and 0.53%, respectively. Healthcare is currently leading the market's charge in 2026. The Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund ETF ( NYSEARCA: XLV ), which tracks the health care sector and holds a weightage of 12.12% in the S&P 500 index, has increased by 2.41% in 2026, while the S&P 500 has only gained 0.53%. Here are the five most shorted healthcare stocks with market capitalizations of up to $2 billion (as a % of shares outstanding) as of February 28: SCWorx Corp. ( WORX ) Health Care Technology sector, short interest 47.98% KalVista Pharmaceuticals ( KALV ) Biotechnology sector, short interest 39.16% Intellia Therapeutics ( NTLA ) Biotechnology sector, short interest 38.31% Tango Therapeutics ( TNGX ) Biotechnology sector, short interest 34.92% Recursion Pharmaceuticals ( RXRX ) Biotechnology sector, short interest 33.18% Here are the five least shorted healthcare stocks with market capitalizations of up to $2 billion (as a % of shares outstanding) as of February 28: Regional Health Properties ( RHEP ) Health Care Facilities sector, short interest 0.50% Connect Biopharma Holdin...
LOS ANGELES, March 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Schall Law Firm , a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Oracle Corporation (“Oracle” or “the Company”) (NYSE: ORCL) for violations of §§10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors ...
LOS ANGELES, March 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Schall Law Firm , a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Oracle Corporation (“Oracle” or “the Company”) (NYSE: ORCL) for violations of §§10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors who purchased the Company’s securities between June 12, 2025 and December 16, 2025, inclusive (the “Class Period”), are encouraged to contact the firm before April 6, 2026. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com , or by email at bschall@schallfirm.com. The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Oracle’s strategy to build AI infrastructure would require massive CapEx spending without near-term revenue growth. The Company’s CapEx spending increased risk related to its debt and credit rating, free cash flow, and ability to fund projects. Based on these facts, the Company’s public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Oracle, investors suffered damages. Join the case to recover your losses The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. CONTACT: The Schall...
Alphabet Inc. (Class C) just dropped new AI moves that could change how you use Google, YouTube, and Android. But is the stock still undervalued, or are you late to the party? Here’s what you are not seeing on TikTok. Bottom line: If you use Google, YouTube, Android, or Chrome, Alphabet Inc. (Class C) is basically the stock version of your digital life. The latest AI updates and ad growth are turn...
Alphabet Inc. (Class C) just dropped new AI moves that could change how you use Google, YouTube, and Android. But is the stock still undervalued, or are you late to the party? Here’s what you are not seeing on TikTok. Bottom line: If you use Google, YouTube, Android, or Chrome, Alphabet Inc. (Class C) is basically the stock version of your digital life. The latest AI updates and ad growth are turning that screen time into serious cash - and investors are paying attention. You are not just betting on "search" anymore. With Alphabet, you are buying into AI, YouTube as TV 2.0, cloud services powering US startups, and a company that still throws off insane free cash flow. The question is not "Is it big?" - it is "Is it still early enough for you to ride the next wave?" See how Alphabet tells its own story on the official site Analysis: What's behind the hype Alphabet Inc. (Class C) is the non-voting share class of Google's parent company, trading on the NASDAQ under the ticker GOOG. For you, that means you get full economic exposure to Google's money machine without shareholder voting rights - which most retail investors do not really use anyway. Over the last few days, markets and analysts have been locked in on three big Alphabet storylines: how fast it is pushing AI into search and ads, how strong YouTube's ad and subscription growth stays in a choppy ad market, and whether U.S. regulators slow down its momentum. This stock is one of the core pieces of basically every major U.S. index ETF you see on TikTok finance feeds. Here is how the core pieces of Alphabet Inc. (Class C) break down for you as a U.S. investor: Key Area What It Is Why You Should Care Google Search & Ads Core money engine, selling ads against search intent Massive cash flow, funds all the AI, cloud, and moonshots YouTube Short-form (Shorts), long-form, and CTV video platform Competes with TikTok and Netflix for your screen time Google Cloud Cloud platform and AI infrastructure for companies High-gro...
TLDR Apple launched a new MacBook Air with the M5 chip, starting at $1,099 for the 13-inch model The M5 chip delivers up to 4x faster AI performance than the M4, and up to 9.5x faster than M1 Starting storage doubles to 512GB, with SSD read/write speeds 2x faster than the previous generation MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro chip start at $2,199 Pre-orders open March 4, with availability from Mar...
TLDR Apple launched a new MacBook Air with the M5 chip, starting at $1,099 for the 13-inch model The M5 chip delivers up to 4x faster AI performance than the M4, and up to 9.5x faster than M1 Starting storage doubles to 512GB, with SSD read/write speeds 2x faster than the previous generation MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro chip start at $2,199 Pre-orders open March 4, with availability from March 11 💥 Find the Next KnockoutStock! Get live prices, charts, and KO Scores from KnockoutStocks.com , the data-driven platform ranking every stock by quality and breakout potential. Apple has launched the new MacBook Air with the M5 chip, kicking off at $1,099 for the 13-inch model and $1,299 for the 15-inch. The MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at $2,199. Apple has introduced the new MacBook Pro – 14” and 16” sizes – M5 Pro and M5 Max chips – Now starts at 1TB (M5 Pro) and 2TB storage (M5 Max) – 2x faster SSD – Apple N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 – Nano-texture option – Thunderbolt 5 – Starts at $2,199 (14” model) and… pic.twitter.com/BKHeDmseUm — Apple Hub (@theapplehub) March 3, 2026 The new Air comes with 512GB of storage as standard — double what shipped with the M4 model — and can now be configured up to 4TB for the first time. The SSD is also faster, delivering 2x the read/write speeds compared to the previous generation. Apple just dropped the new MacBook Pro with M5 Pro & M5 Max 🔥 Built for serious AI + pro workflows Here’s what’s new: • Up to 18-core CPU (world’s fastest CPU core) • Next-gen GPU with Neural Accelerator in every core • Up to 4x faster AI vs previous gen • Up to 8x faster… pic.twitter.com/BYHMyjfN9V — Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) March 3, 2026 The M5 chip features a 10-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU, with a Neural Accelerator built into each GPU core. Apple says it delivers up to 4x faster AI task performance compared to the M4, and up to 9.5x faster than M1. The company also claims web browsing is up to 50% faster than a PC laptop running an Inte...
Seeking Alpha Seeking Alpha Seeking Alpha Seeking Alpha Seeking Alpha Seeking Alpha More on Plug Power Plug Power: Improving Operations, Still A Hold For Me Plug Power targets positive EBITDAS in Q4 2026 while advancing margin turnaround and cash discipline Plug Power reports FY results
Seeking Alpha Seeking Alpha Seeking Alpha Seeking Alpha Seeking Alpha Seeking Alpha More on Plug Power Plug Power: Improving Operations, Still A Hold For Me Plug Power targets positive EBITDAS in Q4 2026 while advancing margin turnaround and cash discipline Plug Power reports FY results