1. Amazon Valued at $1 Trillion?
Yep! That’s right. Exactly one month ago, Apple became the first company ever to pass this unbelievable milestone. Today, Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, is the second man to have broken the same record. How? His marketing strategy was crucial to the plan. Amazon “Prime Day” (notably the one day that Amazon makes the most sales in a 24-hour period) was extended this year to a 36-hour period. Financial analysts say that this marketing technique, along with the recent acquisition of Whole Foods, is what likely bolstered sales and drove the company over the edge, shattering the milestone. “Alexa, play Celebration by Kool & the Gang!”
(Source: Mashable)
2. Net Neutrality: How Neutral?
Net neutrality is the concept that all traffic generated on the internet should be treated equally by all internet service providers. This means that the activities carried out on Instagram, Facebook, Netflix, and even Google should all be regarded in the same manner and should not be subject to additional charges or penalties. At the federal level last year, officials decided to repeal net neutrality, sparking heated debates and protests from individual states.
Not one for subtlety, the state of California has created its own set of laws to govern freedom and activity on the web. The replacement bill, called SB822, is now in its final stage of passing into a law. Swayed by California, the rest of the West Coast is apt to follow in its footsteps, protecting themselves from the lobbying efforts of Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon by installing state-level net neutrality laws. Let’s just hope these companies can still generate some sort of revenue because when your internet provider goes bankrupt it’s a “net” loss!
(Source: The Verge)
3. Tesla’s Missed Production Goals
He has a net worth of almost $20B… He’s revolutionizing the world of transportation… Simply put, he’s electric! But he keeps missing production goals? Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has once again missed a deadline. The end-of-second-quarter goal was to be consistently producing 5000 Model-3’s per week, yet the company has failed to do so. In fact, Tesla seems to be shifting gears. New projects are emerging, such as the development of a plant in China worth over $2.5B. With so many people invested in the company, enormous amounts of capital expenditures, and such a high share price, it begs the question: What exactly is Tesla focusing on now?
(Source: Forbes)