Things pop up on my radar that I find interesting in the financial space and enjoy sharing.
1. I have learned that Waymo has acquired a permit and begun to map out SFO International Airport. In my opinion that is great news. I’ve since become accustomed to riding Waymo in the city and find it better than its competitors – Uber and Lyft.
- One, there is no need to tip.
- Two, my introverted self can stay silent during the car ride without the awkwardness.
- Three, I’ve always been picked up quickly; little waiting time. I feel pretty darn safe during my rides.
- Four, the price is fairly competitive
You can always tell the tourists in the city, as they take picture of the car without a driver. Dun dun dun.
Fun Fact: Waymo is owned by Google. If you are investing in VTI or VOO, then you are already investing in Waymo’s growth.
2. Dollar General is closing up to 100 stores. I don’t have too much personal experience with Dollar General since its not in my neck of the woods. However, when I visited family in NC, they were everywhere.
Apparently, while Dollar General’s net sales increased it’s operating profits decreased. Then they also incurred charges of $232 million related to its Popshelf stores. I can’t even imaging dealing with such massive figures! What do you think, is closing up to 100 stores going to make Dollar General seem less? I don’t think it will.
3. Lots of electricity needed! The big 3 tech companies – Amazon, Google, Meta – are investing big in nuclear energy to power its AI inventions. Apple also updated it’s ‘clean energy’ verbiage to include nuclear energy. Then there is Enron rising up again and making nuclear energy part of it’s big comeback.
As I was thinking about investing in New Sapience (invest at your own risk – do your research – this is a risky investment) I was pondering the limits.
I have my own experiencing using artificial intelligence within the workplace and was not wowed by the results as there is a limited factor in the critical thinking skills that are needed. A short time has passed and I’ve been told the large language model (LLM) has shown impressive advancements. I get to find out soon if it is a feasible replacement to the human work needed in this area. At the same time, it’s very costly to use and uses a lot of electricity.
Could New Sapience rise above the others? New Sapience states, “our sapiens are unique thinking machine prototypes with the acumen to speak and comprehend human language, as opposed to merely mimicking it like much of the AI known today.”
If I was to invest in it, I think I would need to know:
- What are the cost associated to using it?
- How are they going to accommodate the electricity needs?
- How does New Sapience surpass the other AI LLMs?
New Sapience also states, “You should not invest any funds in this offering unless you can afford to lose your entire investment. Investing in startups is risky and there is no guarantee you will get your money back at all, let alone a return on your investment.”
4. I know I am not the only one irked about Klarna partnering with DoorDash. The agreement lets users pay in full, in four interest-free installments or defer payment until later. This is for food delivery. <shake my head>. People are struggling to pay for groceries, eggs, and more. The answer is not to help people get into debt to meet these basic needs. Consumer greed.
When I was young, I fell prey to those check cashing schemes (that are unfortunately still in business). It was a wild ride trying to detach from that vicious cycle. The Klarna and DoorDash is putting off the same vibes. Don’t do it. Why are you purchasing food delivery when you already have #foodathome.
