Yahoo Finance

Cindy Mizaku

Producer

Cindy Mizaku is a producer for Yahoo Finance’s original series.

Tesla's robotaxi arrives. See where Google and Amazon stand.

The launch of Tesla’s (TSLA) Cybercab robotaxi marks one of the most monumental in the company’s history — and after teasing plans to go fully autonomous for nearly a decade, Elon Musk has finally unveiled the new cybercar. The long anticipated launch comes amid increased scrutiny about the promise of self-driving technology. While Google’s (GOOG, GOOGL) Waymo has logged more than 22 million rider miles with few incidents in select cities, accidents involving General Motors’ (GM) Cruise and Tesla’s autopilot technology have raised questions about the technology’s ability to scale safely. Amazon’s (AMZN) Zoox is providing a potential template for the future, building vehicles for the sole purpose of ferrying passengers autonomously. Just like Tesla’s robotaxi, Zoox is also built without traditional controls like a steering wheel and pedals. The company says that their new technology will ensure cost efficiency and safety. Founder Jesse Levinson said that Zoox’s robotaxi is fundamentally different from Tesla’s driver assistance system, as Tesla vehicles require drivers to be ready to take control at any moment.  While Zoox doesn’t rely on human drivers for assistance, the company does use remote operators to guide the vehicle in rare situations.  “The vehicles are only getting help from humans only 1% of the time,” Levinson said. “As it gets more sophisticated, the amount of time they’re asking for help goes down.”  Still, critics question the economics and safety of self-driving taxis, noting that current autonomous rides are more expensive than car ownership, despite being cheaper than traditional rides. While Tesla investors are optimistic about robotaxis, experts believe substantial revenue is still years away.

last month

GOOG

AMZN
How 2% became the Fed’s inflation target

The Federal Reserve sets monetary policy with two goals in mind: to maximize employment and stabilize prices. The central bank ensures the latter by targeting inflation at 2%. The central bank has utilized its tools and adjusted interest rates to meet those inflation expectations for years, but the Fed did not officially adopt a target rate until 2012. Economist David Wilcox with the Peterson Institute and Bloomberg Economics said inflation targeting creates more certainty about where prices are headed for the Fed and consumers. He adds, building credibility is critical when inflation takes off because “financial market participants, households, businesses all have confidence that you're going to bring inflation back down to target.” But stubborn inflation coming out of the pandemic has led to political pushback from critics who say the target number should be reconsidered. Yahoo Finance’s Washington Correspondent Ben Werschkul says there’s criticism that asserts there’s too much emphasis on the inflation target, while a target for the labor market is not considered. Yahoo Finance unpacks the origins of inflation targeting and why 2% became the bullseye.

3 months ago
Tesla's Cybertruck: Is it a win or a miss?

Tesla’s (TSLA) Cybertruck certainly turned heads when it was unveiled in 2019. With its futuristic design and bold promises, it immediately captured the attention of both Tesla fans and the general public - in both a good and bad way. With Cybertrucks now coming off Tesla’s assembly line, it remains divisive: Some call it innovative; others say it's just plain ugly. Regardless, there are currently 11,688 Cybertrucks and counting now on roads. But with numerous production delays, recalls, and questions about its real-world utility, some investors are concerned the Cybertruck is quickly losing its appeal. “There's a lot of unmet demand still there for the Cybertruck,” Yahoo Finance Senior Autos Reporter Pras Subramanian said. If Tesla wants to hit their “$50,000 price tag, they're going to have to keep driving down their industrialization costs.” It’s costs, among other things, that have concerned investors of late. Despite recent gains, Tesla remains under pressure as investors reassess the kind of growth and stability the company can achieve, particularly as EV sales across its lineup decline. Cox Automotive's latest EV sales report found that Tesla’s share of US EV sales fell below 50% for the first time as Ford (F), Kia, and BMW saw growth. Yahoo Finance takes a closer look at why the Cybertruck is as polarizing as it is and whether it has the potential to be a strong player in the EV market.

4 months ago

F

TSLA
Biden, Trump, & taxes: The issue neither candidate can ignore

The 2025 election is set to trigger a $6 trillion divide over tax policy. While former president Donald Trump is looking to lower the corporate tax rate and permanently extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, President Joe Biden is calling for a fairer tax code, keeping the Trump tax cuts for families making under $400k, but raising rates for the ultra rich. Regardless of their stance, tax policy will be the first order of business with the tax bill expiring in 2025. But the outcome of the election gets a bit more complicated. A Trump win may not necessarily mean the Republican party is on board with Trump’s policy proposal. Yahoo Finance’s Washington Correspondent Ben Werschkul said that while Republicans are united around Trump as their nominee, they are still divided over how to address the 21% federal corporate tax rate if the GOP controls Washington next year. The pro-business wing makes the case that lower rates can allow companies to invest in their workers and better the economy, while the populist wing maintains the need for corporate responsibility through higher taxation. Debate over the rollout of next year’s tax policies comes amid growing concerns about the country’s rising debt. The Congressional Budget Office projects federal debt held by the public to skyrocket to more than 122% of GDP in the next decade. The President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Maya MacGuineas argues the rapid rise in the country’s debt now poses a “national security risk.” She said both candidates need to have a plan to address the debt, and offset the costs of the tax cuts they want to implement.

4 months ago
‘Alexa, sum up my patient’s symptoms’: AWS’s Dr. Angela Shippy

Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), and Apple (AAPL) are racing to carve out their stake in the healthcare market. Their moves come as health providers are turning to big tech to optimize hospital operations and data sharing. While Microsoft has a stronger foothold in the provider space with a lengthy list of partnerships and its well-integrated Azure OpenAI service, health system organizations say that Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a top contender in the health cloud sector.Dr. Angela Shippy, medical doctor-turned-physician executive at AWS, is betting on the company’s voice tech expertise utilized in tools like AWS HealthScribe to shape the industry for the better.Yahoo Finance gets an inside look at Houston Methodist Hospital’s Technology Hub where Dr. Shippy demonstrates AWS’s latest cloud technologies.To see the full Lead This Way episode: How a doctor at Amazon's AWS is using AI to improve healthcare, click here.For more on our Lead This Way series, click here, and tune in to Yahoo Finance Live for more expert insight and the latest market action, Monday through Friday.

5 months ago

GOOG

AAPL
How a doctor at Amazon's AWS is using AI to improve healthcare

As AI and machine learning roll out across virtually every sector of the economy, bringing both cost savings and efficiencies, the biggest tech companies are racing to conquer what they see as the next frontier: healthcare. Dr. Angela Shippy, medical doctor-turned-physician executive at Amazon Web Services, is leading the charge at the world's biggest cloud provider. Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and Meta (META) added $16 billion to their 2024 capex on AI spending this earnings season, a 31% increase from last year. Part of that capital is spent on healthcare, in an effort to target what many see as a broken system that has suffered from long-standing problems that were further exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic. “If we can take away those tiny administrative burdensome tasks and allow them to do what they truly love,” Dr. Shippy said, “then we know we're making it a better experience for them, and we're making it a better experience for the patient as well because they're in control.”Dr. Shippy is leveraging her background as a practicing clinician to inform her work as the Clinical Innovation Lead for healthcare at AWS. In her role, she connects with 700 healthcare providers across the country as they integrate AWS-powered tech solutions into their practices. While 56% of hospitals’ total operating revenue goes toward labor, the field is also challenged with managing labor shortages and increased patient volumes. Dr. Shippy aims to address these issues by deploying devices like Amazon Alexa to empower patients to make requests like turning a light on and off while reducing pressure on staff. Yahoo Finance gets a closer look at how Dr. Shippy is driving AWS’s next cloud revolution in healthcare and her plan for how AI will create a more equitable healthcare system overall.

5 months ago

MSFT

META
Melinda French Gates’ mentor on lifting up women

There is no doubt that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is one of the most influential philanthropies in the world. Despite co-founder Melinda French Gates’s resignation and a new $1 billion pledge to initiatives supporting women, girls, and reproductive rights, there’s a lot to learn from her leading role in the foundation. In April, Yahoo Finance sat down with Patty Stonesifer, French Gates’ friend, mentor, and founding CEO of the Gates Foundation, who also once served as interim CEO of the Washington Post. French Gates and Stonesifer met at Microsoft (MSFT). Reflecting back on their days at the tech company, Stonesifer said she and French Gates leaned on each other in the face of the company’s male-dominated leadership. When asked to join the Gates Foundation, Stonesifer said the opportunity was “just irresistible.” To see the full Lead This Way episode, click here.

5 months ago

MSFT
Melinda French Gates on her working partnership with Bill

Melinda French Gates and ex-husband Bill Gates, co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft (MSFT), founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. Since its inception, the health and social-focused philanthropy has issued $77.6 billion in grants.After 27 years of marriage, the two divorced in 2021, leaving the world wondering about the future of their roles at the foundation. In May, French Gates announced her resignation from the foundation to continue her work at her own company, Pivotal Ventures, with a focus on securing gender equality through investing in women-led businesses. In mid-March, before her resignation announcement, French Gates told Yahoo Finance how she grappled with the challenges of marriage and running the foundation when working through her divorce from Gates behind the scenes.

6 months ago

MSFT
How the NFL adopts new rules

It’s no easy feat to head the operations of a multi-billion powerhouse that is the NFL. The league’s Football Operations is tasked with one of the most important jobs, which is to ensure that football remains the game fans know and love. They play a pivotal role in bridging the people - players, coaches, teams, and officials - with the game’s rules. As Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Troy Vincent oversees policies on the field and the development of the league's over 1,700 players. Vincent details the extensive process behind rulemaking – one that even involves reading fans’ emailed suggestions.

6 months ago
How NFL’s Troy Vincent balances the game’s thrill and safety

The National Football League needs no introduction. Thanks to high-stake media deals and a big push into building a global fanbase, the NFL has built the world’s largest sports league — valued at $163 billion across its 32 teams, according to Forbes. Its lead in the industry is no accident. It’s the result of careful business branding, exclusive sponsorships, expanding the interests of an already massive audience, and adjusting to the changing landscape of the sport. In the 2023-24 season alone, the NFL partnered with 48 brands, holding top deals with EA Sports (EA), Nike (NKE) and Verizon (VZ), while generating over $11 billion from broadcasters, including Peacock, Amazon (AMZN), and ESPN, according to GlobalData. The 2024 Super Bowl also became the most-watched television program in US history. However, the NFL wouldn't exist, much less be the powerhouse it is today, without the league’s nearly 1,700 players. Troy Vincent is the one who is looking out for them on the field. As Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Vincent heads player development and oversees new and, at times, risky rules to a game loved and watched by millions, with one goal in mind — building on the success of the NFL through investing in its players.Before joining the C-suite, Vincent got his start in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins as a rookie cornerback in 1992. But NFL fans know him best from his time playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, where he made five consecutive Pro Bowls. Yahoo Finance’s Josh Lipton visits the NFL headquarters and is later invited to Vincent’s family home in Purcellville, Virginia to get a closer look at the forces driving Vincent’s leadership and the business behind ‘America’s sport.’ For more on our Lead This Way Series, click here, and tune in to Yahoo Finance every Thursday.

6 months ago
From heel to toe: How the iconic New Balance 990 is made

Before a New Balance 990 is formed into a complete sneaker, it begins its life as two-dimensional sheets of leather and fabric that get passed from one shoemaker to the next. From the patterns of the upper to the chunkiness of the sole, the 990s are recognizable even before the gray “N” logo is stitched on. While the look of the shoe has evolved since its inception in 1982, the craftsmanship has remained the same. Yahoo Finance gets a behind-the-scenes look at New Balance’s 115-year-old factory in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where 29 shoemakers stitch and design the 990v6. The shoemaking process is divided into five departments: cut, pre-fit, computer stitch, hand stitch, and assembly. In each of the 50 to 60 steps, precision is crucial, with quality checks throughout the process. The end result: an iconic shoe that is literally pieced together from start to finish in the US.Watch the video above to learn how the 990v6 is made.

7 months ago
How New Balance puts its next 'it' shoe through the paces

The race to create the top-performing – but also most stylish – pair of sneakers goes on. Retailers have been adopting the latest design trends, investing in athlete partnerships, and turning to social media to keep up. But staying relevant in a competitive, multi-billion-dollar market can be challenging. How is the industry pushing for innovation? Research labs. A science that analyzes an athlete’s qualitative and quantitative data, to be more specific. Yahoo Finance’s Brad Smith jumps into his athletic gear and laces up at the New Balance Sports Research Lab where researchers are, quite literally, running tests on him in a quest to find his best-performing shoe, following in the footsteps of marathon record-holder Emily Sisson.For more on our Lead This Way series, click here, and tune in to Yahoo Finance Live for more expert insight and the latest market action, Monday through Friday. Editor's Note: This article was written by Cindy Mizaku.

7 months ago
An inside look at the fusion reactor promising limitless energy

Scientists and big-name investors like Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are placing their bets on nuclear technology that could essentially recreate a star on earth. Yahoo Finance’s Akiko Fujita gets an exclusive look at the country’s largest magnetic fusion facility, DIII-D, where researchers are chasing clean energy through a process called nuclear fusion. Unlike traditional nuclear fission, which splits a large atom apart, fusion smashes two atoms together – producing massive amounts of renewable energy without the release of harmful waste. Tucked inside the heart of the operation lies the “tokamak.” The stakes are high in this vacuum chamber where temperatures can reach about ten times the core of the sun. In order to commercialize, nuclear fusion facilities need to generate more energy than the amount of energy it takes to create a reaction. Success here can take us one step closer to charging our world through limitless power. For more on our NEXT series, click here, and tune in to Yahoo Finance Live for more expert insight and the latest market action, Monday through Friday.

7 months ago
Live heat maps to revolutionize the fight against retail theft

Video surveillance systems, smart case locks, and AI security robots are among just a few anti-theft technologies on the market. But what if the answer to loss prevention could be simplified? The Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC) at the University of Florida develops and tests theft prevention technology, funded by dozens of retailers who pay an annual membership fee to access the lab’s findings. The lab, in turn, works on solutions that bring retailers together who traditionally compete. Walmart (WMT), Amazon (AMZN), and Kroger (KR) are just some of the companies that have already come together to share their data in real time with the ultimate goal of stopping theft before it happens. Yahoo Finance’s Madison Mills gets an inside look at the research lab where heat maps are designed to pull information from a variety of sources, including retailers, law enforcement, and fire rescue agencies to pinpoint where and when crime occurs — not only to prevent losses but to combat much larger, global issues that retail crime funds. If you’re going to future-proof your portfolio, you need to know what’s NEXT. In this series, Yahoo Finance will feature stories that give a glimpse at the future, and show how companies are making big moves today that will matter tomorrow.For more on our NEXT series, click here, and tune tune in to Yahoo Finance Live for more expert insight and the latest market action, Monday through Friday. Editor's note: This article was written by Cindy Mizaku

8 months ago
Grammys 2024: What to expect on music’s biggest night

The 66th annual Grammy Awards, airing live from Los Angeles this Sunday, is getting fans excited to see their favorite artists hit the stage and potentially win a Grammy. What’s new this year? The Recording Academy introduced three new Grammy categories and “only human creators” are eligible to win – just to name a few. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. joins Yahoo Finance’s Jennifer Schonberger to discuss what’s to come on music’s biggest night. In addition to the Grammys, Mason Jr. gives his takes on AI shaking up the music industry, the push for artist compensation on streaming platforms, and the future of concert ticket reform.“AI's going to present some really unique opportunities for our industry, but it's also a bit scary,” Mason Jr. said, adding that guidelines need to be put in place to ensure that “human creators are protected."

9 months ago
The road ahead for new PayPal CEO Alex Chriss

With the former PayPal CEO and President Dan Schulman stepping down and the company’s stock dropping more than 24% from a year ago, PayPal’s new leadership has a lot of ground to cover in 2024. The payments sector flourished during the pandemic, causing the stocks in the space to rise. Companies like PayPal (PYPL), however, had trouble adjusting to post-pandemic consumer behavior despite the market rally in 2023. Still, some analysts maintain that while the company has been going through a growth slowdown in the last two years, now is a good time to buy in. Wedbush Securities Managing Director Moshe Katri and Macquarie Capital Senior Equity Research Analyst Paul Golding join Yahoo Finance Live to talk all things fintech in the new year. “What PayPal has gone through in the past year and a half is really a symptom of pretty much every single fintech company in this universe,” Katri said. “You cannot exclusively rely on transaction fees in terms of revenue generation. You have to do more than that.” The challenge for new PayPal CEO Alex Chriss is to build a robust line of services for both merchants and consumers on the platform, Katri maintains. Along with reinvesting in consumer experience, Golding said that he is interested to see how new leadership is going to expand the platform among small and medium-sized businesses and growing the margins around businesses such as BrainTree. To see the full Lead This Way episode: Dan Schulman: The CEO who made PayPal a household name, click here.

10 months ago

GPN

PYPL
Behind the drone that will deliver straight to your doorstep

Envision a delivery service that’s driverless and instant – shipping an order straight to your doorstep in a matter of minutes – without wheels. What’s behind the process? Drones. Bay Area startup Zipline is commercializing drone delivery with their latest drone known as Platform 2. Hovering 300 feet above the ground, the drone releases a droid inside to drop off the delivery in a secure location. Yahoo Finance’s Akiko Fujita gets an inside look at how the technology is designed and automated with the question in mind: What will it take to revolutionize delivery services?The NEXT Big Thing is the social companion to our big bold series NEXT. To see the full NEXT episode: Drone delivery to reach new heights and speeds, click here.You can read Akiko Fujita's article: Drone delivery startup Zipline to expand package drop-off across the US, here.

11 months ago
Drone delivery to reach new heights and speeds

In this episode of Yahoo Finance series NEXT, Yahoo Finance reporter Akiko Fujita visits San Francisco startup Zipline to get a first-hand look at how delivery services are being automated with drones. The vision of drone delivery has been around for years, with Amazon (AMZN) being one of the first to launch its drone delivery program “Prime Air” in 2013. What has kept the industry from scaling up to widespread use? Regulation. In the race to deliver at new heights, the FAA has granted Zipline a rare exception to fly drones beyond the visual line of sight. With commercial drone deliveries projected to exceed 1 million by the end of 2023, Zipline plans to lead the way introducing drone technology to as many as 15 cities in the US across healthcare, restaurants, and retail by 2025. Zipline expects to reach these goals with the company’s Platform 2 aircraft – a drone designed to seamlessly integrate into business operations while delivering with precision. From heights up to 330 feet, the drone drops a "droid" with packaged goods weighing up to eight pounds anywhere from your doorstep to sidewalk in a matter of minutes.Drone delivery could be introducing a new accessibility to delivery services with retailers lining up to utilize the technology. Sweetgreen (SG), Pagliacci Pizza, and Mendocino Farms are early restaurant adopters. Zipline has also lined up a slew of clients in the health and wellness space, including GNC, Michigan Medicine, Intermountain Health, and MultiCare Health System. As more companies adopt the technology, delivery on wheels may be a thing of the past. For more on our NEXT series, click here, and tune in to Yahoo Finance every Monday at 10 a.m. ET.

11 months ago

SG

AMZN
AI in 2024: The 'big getting bigger'

With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicking off next month, tech companies from around the world are excited to showcase their latest products. Despite the many tech advancements that will be highlighted, generative AI is likely to be the one that takes center stage. Bob O’Donnell, TECHnalysis Research President and Chief Analyst, joins Yahoo Finance Live and shares what he expects to see at CES. Although there are going to be startups leaving their mark in audio and video applications, O’Donnell makes the case that the big tech companies are going to see the greatest earnings in 2024. The smaller companies are going to be financially challenged with building the foundation models that are essential for creating new and accurate AI systems, O’Donnell says, while companies like Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon (AMZN) will be a case of the "big getting bigger." For more from this episode of NEXT: To see the full NEXT episode: Next in Tech: Why generative AI will explode in 2024, click here. To read more about AI from Yahoo Finance's Tech Editor Dan Howley, click here.

11 months ago

AMZN

AMD
Next in Tech: Why generative AI will explode in 2024

It's been just over a year since ChatGPT started to dominate headlines. The OpenAI platform introduced the world to generative AI, a type of AI that can be used in everyday functions. But what will 2024 bring? More AI. Bob O’Donnell, TECHnalysis Research President & Chief Analyst joins Yahoo Finance Live to discuss what the next wave of AI means for users, companies, and investors. Despite the craze over generative AI in the past year, O’Donnell says that not many people in the workforce have been directly using the applications, but that’s all going to change in the coming year. While everyday people are going to be using AI, businesses are going to see a greater impact than the average consumer, O’Donnell maintains. Nvidia (NVDA) has been the biggest name associated with AI, but "in 2024, we're going to see a ton of other semiconductor companies, obviously, be going after Nvidia. And the truth is, the market is looking for more competition,” O’Donnell says. In terms of semiconductors, O'Donnell points to announcements from Intel (INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and how those companies will be looking to bring their chips to the masses. He also explains how tech companies like Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT) are going to join the ring with Nvidia and Qualcomm (QCOM), pioneering the next generation of AI-processing software.For more episodes from our NEXT series, click here. To read more about AI from Yahoo Finance's Tech Editor Dan Howley, click here.

11 months ago

AMZN

QCOM

News

Life

Entertainment

Finance

Sports

New on Yahoo

Cindy Mizaku

Most Recent

Tesla's robotaxi arrives. See where Google and Amazon stand.

How 2% became the Fed’s inflation target

Tesla's Cybertruck: Is it a win or a miss?

Biden, Trump, & taxes: The issue neither candidate can ignore

‘Alexa, sum up my patient’s symptoms’: AWS’s Dr. Angela Shippy

How a doctor at Amazon's AWS is using AI to improve healthcare

Melinda French Gates’ mentor on lifting up women

Melinda French Gates on her working partnership with Bill

How the NFL adopts new rules

How NFL’s Troy Vincent balances the game’s thrill and safety

From heel to toe: How the iconic New Balance 990 is made

How New Balance puts its next 'it' shoe through the paces

An inside look at the fusion reactor promising limitless energy

Live heat maps to revolutionize the fight against retail theft

Grammys 2024: What to expect on music’s biggest night

The road ahead for new PayPal CEO Alex Chriss

Behind the drone that will deliver straight to your doorstep

Drone delivery to reach new heights and speeds

AI in 2024: The 'big getting bigger'

Next in Tech: Why generative AI will explode in 2024