One should always seek for opportunities whenever, wherever, and however possible. Yet, there is one caveat: not at the expense of others.
As one of pioneers in the sensor technology and driverless car projects, Anthony Levandowski has been spearheading the disruptions of the automotive and tech industries. His former employer, Google, encouraged its employees to spend 20% of their work hours on side projects. It was a gracious act. However, Anthony not only took advantage of such policy, but also allegedly leveraged the firm’s intellectual property to gain financial benefits through his side projects - starting his own secret companies to sell products directly to Google. Now, he took even bolder steps to get handsome paychecks and bonuses from Uber, a main competitor of Google in the autonomous vehicle space. He almost poured scorn on the non-competition agreement he previously signed with Google.
It’s still an ongoing investigation, so it’s a little early to claim any wrongdoings of Mr. Levandowski. Yet, it's a good time for companies to revisit their corporate policies and employee trainings to make sure they clarify some grey areas - like entrepreneurship vs. piracy.
Respondents report renewed optimism on the economy. But political and trade-related risks continue to loom.
Optimistic economic prospects, yet political risks prevail
Current economic conditions are much better than 2016. Yet, perspectives on expected conditions in next 6 months are still very doubtful, along with dramatic shifts in the risk factors.
In 2016, top 3 risk factors were changing consumer needs, low demand, and scarcity of talent. While those risks had submerged, a new geopolitical risk, trade-related policies in particular, has emerged as an outsize risk in the developed markets. Executives are keeping an eye on the business and regulatory environment and changes in trade policies - trying hard to stay on the good side of the policymakers.
Amazon.com said it is launching a new grocery-store pickup service, pushing deeper into brick-and-mortar retail as it moves to capture more of what people spend on food.
AmazonFresh Pickup as a hybrid strategy
Amazon.com Inc. is testing diverse angles to break into the retail market. Amazon Go is opening up cashier-less convenience stores. AmazonFresh subscription service focuses on the online quick food delivery. Both strategies are pretty early in the game and haven't reached their potentials. While two strategies struggle to penetrate in the retail market, AmazonFresh Pickup can generate some profits by filling-in the gap between two strategies.
Trial-and-error phase of the future convenience stores
Amazon Go is at the center of attention as an early adopter of the automated convenience store, where all transactions happen automatically.
It currently lacks the number of physical stores to take away meaningful market shares. Also, it has recently faced some technical difficulties - cameras, sensors, and algorithms tracking purchases inaccurately.
How fast can Amazon Go break through the current trial-and-error phase to roll out a significant number of physical stores nationwide?
Challenges to shift away from touch-and-feel grocery shopping
AmazonFresh utilizes its leading infrastructure for delivering groceries to customers' door fronts through online orders.
Managing individual grocery deliveries can be logically complex and has low margins compared to the delivery of other consumer goods. Also, consumer preference for touch-and-feel groceries before each purchase is another big consumer behavior to overcome.
How fast can AmazonFresh reach its economies of scale to reach reasonable profit margins and optimal efficiency in its logistics?
AmazonFresh Pickup is a hybrid of Amazon Go and AmazonFresh
Customers can make online reservations to pickup groceries at a specific time and place.
Compared to Amazon Go, this service is free from lack of physical stores and can leverage the existing pickup system.
Compared to AmazonFresh, this service is free from complex delivery logistics and has much better margins - cost savings from non-delivery.
Other retail giants like Wal-Mart and Kroger are already competing in the grocery pickup business. If done right, AmazonFresh Pickup have potentials to effectively fill-in the gap until Amazon Go and AmazonFresh smear into the on-/offline retail market successfully.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk wants to merge computers with human brains to help people keep up with machines.
Build Machines and Become Machines?
Humans are developing Machines and Artificial Intelligence (AI) that can far exceed the human capacity. Now, humans are trying to put
chips
in their own brains to turn themselves into the Machines.
Downloading and uploading thoughts… Huge caveats lurking beneath the sweet terms (i.e. treating intractable brain disorders, enabling humans to reach higher levels of function). A thought in my head can be my own or someone else’s that I have uploaded.
Neuralink’ high-level plans below are still in flux:
treat intractable brain disorders
prove technology
receive government approval
expand human potentials
Musk mentioned a potential brain interface within the next 4-5 years. Hope he sticks to his prior commitments with Tesla, Space X, and many more for a while.
