GMT EIGHT - Commercial - Company&Products

Snap Scrambles to Restructure Amidst Stalling Ad Revenue

“King of Phones in Africa” Faces Disruption as Xiaomi Surges and Transsion Slows

As Apple pushes for automation upgrades, supply chain partners face higher costs

Walmart’s latest AI innovations represent a shift for big retail

Microsoft’s AI Push Fuels Investor Optimism

Alphabet Secures $10 Billion Meta Cloud Deal, Strengthening Its AI Leadership

Alphabet’s $10 billion cloud deal with Meta highlights Google Cloud’s growing role in AI infrastructure. The agreement provides long-term revenue visibility, validates Alphabet’s AI-first strategy, and strengthens its competitive position in a multicloud landscape.

OpenAI Eyes India for Gigawatt-Scale AI Hub, Signaling Major Asia Push

OpenAI is reportedly planning a data center in India with a capacity of at least 1 gigawatt, a key part of its global "Stargate" initiative. This move highlights the country's strategic importance as OpenAI’s second-largest user base, and the project could be announced during CEO Sam Altman's September visit.

China’s Yadea Expands into Thailand to Challenge Honda in Electric Two-Wheeler Market

Yadea, the world’s largest two-wheeler maker, has launched production in Thailand with plans to scale output and undercut rivals like Honda, marking a major step in its push to replicate BYD’s overseas success.

Pop Mart CEO Wang Ning Surges into Global Billionaire Elite on Labubu Doll Craze

Fueled by soaring demand for Labubu dolls, Pop Mart’s Wang Ning has tripled his fortune in 2025 to $26.5 billion, surpassing prominent tech and auto moguls on the global billionaire rankings.

ByteDance Soars Past Meta: New Buyback Program Values TikTok's Parent at Over $330 Billion

ByteDance, TikTok's parent, is now valued at over $330 billion, fueled by strong revenue growth that has made it the world's largest social media company by sales. Despite its financial strength and a new employee buyback program, its valuation remains far below Meta's due to ongoing regulatory pressures in the U.S. over its Chinese ownership.

Temu and Shein Impacted as U.S. Ends “De Minimis” Exemption

Temu and Shein saw a decline in U.S. user activity as of the time of publication, with July transactions down 28% and 14% year-over-year, following President Trump’s order to end the de minimis tax exemption for parcels under USD 800.

OpenAI Accelerates Work on GPT-6 With Focus on Memory and Personalization

Sam Altman revealed that GPT-6 is already in development and will arrive sooner than past upgrades, with new features centered on memory, personalization, and stronger privacy protections, signaling a pivotal shift in OpenAI’s product strategy.

Perplexity's Bold $34.5 Billion Bid for Google Chrome Amidst Antitrust Lawsuit

Perplexity has made an unexpected $34.5 billion offer to acquire Google's Chrome browser, a move that comes as the U.S. Department of Justice is pushing for Google to divest the browser as a remedy in an ongoing antitrust case.

Unpacking the ChatGPT-5 Launch: A Mix of Innovation and Controversy

OpenAI’s ChatGPT-5 launch was a mix of significant advancements and user backlash. While it offers better reasoning and reduced errors, its blunt conversational style and high energy consumption have drawn criticism. The model faces strong competition from rivals excelling in areas like coding and video analysis, highlighting that the race for AI dominance is still intensely competitive.

HD Hyundai Bets on Robots and Foreign Talent to Retake the Shipbuilding Crown

HD Hyundai’s push to reclaim shipbuilding leadership is resting on two levers: people and productivity. The South Korean giant is importing skilled foreign labor to relieve a tight domestic workforce while accelerating factory-floor automation, from welding robots to AI-assisted planning, to raise throughput on high-value vessels such as LNG carriers and alternative-fuel ships.

SoftBank's AI Vision and PayPay's U.S. IPO Plans Highlight Strategic Shift

SoftBank is doubling down on artificial intelligence, led by founder Masayoshi Son's long-term vision. The company is investing in key AI players like Arm and OpenAI while planning a U.S. IPO for its Japanese payments app, PayPay. This listing, potentially raising more than $2 billion, will follow Arm's successful debut and aims to generate capital to fuel SoftBank's future AI-focused ambitions.

Meta Raises Over $2 Billion to Fund AI Data Centers

Meta is selling over $2 billion in assets to bring in external partners and fund its massive data center expansion for artificial intelligence development.

TSMC Accelerates U.S. 2nm Chip Production Amid Strategic Shifts and Trade Pressures

TSMC is reportedly accelerating its plan to produce advanced 2-nanometer chips in Arizona by 2026, two years ahead of schedule, to address new tariffs and better serve its major U.S. customers.

Alibaba Maps Gets AI Upgrade with Qwen-Powered Agent

Alibaba has rolled out a major AI upgrade to its mapping app, integrating its Qwen large language model (LLM) to offer more intuitive navigation and real-time contextual guidance. This move reflects the company's ambition to leverage generative AI not only in e-commerce but also in its wider digital ecosystem, competing with players like Baidu Maps and Amap in China's evolving smart mobility sector.

5 Formidable Obstacles Hindering XRP's Ascent to $5 in 2025

Despite significant rallies and optimistic analyst predictions for XRP to reach $5, its path is challenged by banks not being required to use XRP, slow adoption rates compared to established systems, the existence of potentially superior alternative payment solutions, XRP's lack of independent value beyond its intermediary role, and the broader cryptocurrency market's strong correlation with an overvalued stock market.

Unpacking Apple's Valuation: Why Its Stock Rose 9 Times While iPhone Sales Remained Flat for a Decade

Apple's significant stock growth, despite flat iPhone sales, is primarily driven by its high-margin services division, which now faces substantial threats from regulatory challenges to its App Store fees and the potential invalidation of its lucrative search engine deal with Google.

Microsoft's AI Juggernaut: Soaring Cloud Growth and Bullish Investor Outlook for Q4 Earnings

Microsoft is poised for a strong fiscal fourth quarter, with Wall Street anticipating robust growth driven by its AI and cloud businesses. Despite significant investments in AI infrastructure, analysts remain highly optimistic, projecting increased revenue and earnings per share, fueled by strong demand for Azure and the promising potential of Copilot.

Barclays Posts 23% Profit Surge Amid Trade-Driven Trading Boom

Barclays PLC reported a 23% year-over-year rise in pre-tax profit for H1 2025, reaching £5.2 billion, driven by strong trading revenue amid U.S. tariff-driven market volatility. The bank announced a £1 billion share buyback and raised its interim dividend by 21%. Investment banking, especially fixed income and equities trading, led the gains.

Apple Closes Dalian Store Amidst Shifting China Market Dynamics

Apple is closing its Dalian, China store, marking its first retail exit in the country, a move reflecting increasing market pressures and broader economic shifts in China, despite the company's continued expansion elsewhere in the region and efforts to diversify its global supply chain.

AstraZeneca's Strong Momentum: Clinical Success and Strategic U.S. Expansion

AstraZeneca reported strong Q2 financial results, driven by robust drug sales and positive Phase 3 trial data for Gefurulimab. The company is investing $50 billion in U.S. manufacturing by 2030 to bolster its presence amidst new trade policies. Maintaining its financial outlook, AstraZeneca aims for $80 billion in annual revenue by 2030, emphasizing pipeline innovation and strategic U.S. growth.

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