This month we’re still bringing you the news, but we are taking a break from our original content. Instead, we’d like to hear what you think about the Tech Round-Up. Please answer our quick questionnaire – it’ll take less than three minutes. Normal transmission will resume when we have processed your responses.

Enjoy, from all of us at North Ridge Partners

We Would Appreciate Your Feedback!

Tell us what you think of the Tech Round-Up newsletter. We are giving away ten A$50 Webjet eGift vouchers to our favourite responses. Click here to take the three-minute survey.

What We’ve Been Up To

One of our partners is helping to drive the repositioning of a software company powering wealth, equity trades, market data and superannuation across multiple Commonwealth economies: a ruthless strategy to transform global software company Iress.

Big Tech

• The bank that’s not a bank: the real Big Apple takes $1bn in deposits in just four days.

• This month’s Elon Musk instalment: Microsoft and Twitter break up, subscribers give the Bird to Twitter’s blue ticks, price cuts work wonders for Tesla, and SpaceX hails Starship launch a resounding success.

• In the great AI Game of Thrones, Microsoft’s fans may well be enthralled but as activism hits Activision, Microsoft’s deal looks to be dead in the water.

• Face / Off: another 10,000 jobs go at Meta.

Earnings Call

• The smart money is on AI, not the Metaverse as Meta reports stronger quarterly earnings.

• Cloud proves stormy in Amazon’s latest quarter despite upbeat revenues, while Alphabet beats earnings estimates and announces $70bn buyback.

• Despite the current hoopla, Microsoft lags on long term shareholder returns, while Apple’s revenues and profits retreat decline with supply chain issues biting.

• One less Hastings, but 1.75mn more subscribers as Netflix reports mixed earnings.

Asia Pacific Tech News

• Huawei’s a hurtin.

• Alibaba’s logistics division is set to go public.

• Baidu buys into smart car technology in deal with Chinese chip startup.

• Unpacking India’s super-app Game of Thrones.

AI Deep Dive

• The oracles opine: Bill Gates on AI and Gary Vaynerchuk on how ChatGPT is changing the game.

• In a sign of the times, Google merges its Deepmind and Brain Research business units.

• The chips are up: Microsoft is developing its own AI chip, Arm’s on again off again IPO is on again, and Samsung bans Gen AI tools after IP leak.

• AI hits Tinsel Town! Nvidia’s text-to-video AI blows away the pundits, the Drake deep fake proves that AI is coming for your music, and Marvel director predicts AI could soon create blockbuster movies.

Other Stuff

• The Israeli Tech community isn’t happy: why Silicon Wadi is up in arms.

• Rise of the zombie funds.

• Decarbonising the airwaves: NSA and the Department of Energy try to catalyse solutions for air transport.

North Ridge Partners: technology investment banking across the Asia Pacific

North Ridge Partners works with technology companies across the Asia Pacific to achieve transformational outcomes through providing strategic financial advice, advising on M&A transactions and raising capital services. We’re experienced deal makers who have built, run, and sold numerous technology companies.

Contact us here.

© North Ridge Partners 2021