On September 28, 2021, streaming service Netflix announced its first game-related acquisition: Night School Studio. The studio is best known for its game “Oxenfree”, which is a supernatural teen thriller. In a bid to diversify its offerings, Netflix has also released five mobile-friendly video games in Europe (i.e. Spain, Italy and Poland).
On September 17, 2021, the “Maker in China” SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Global Contest 2021 Grand Final was held in Guangzhou, China. MAD Gaze, a Cyberport incubatee specializing in augmented reality smart glasses, was declared the winner of the championship.
From your everyday newspapers to over-the-top (OTT) platforms like Netflix—numerous companies use the subscription-based business model. This model allows businesses to sell subscriptions online, billing customers on a monthly, weekly or yearly basis. This way, businesses can make the most of their customer relationships and build a steady income flow.
Every year, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meets in a regular session, beginning on the third Tuesday of September at the UN headquarters in New York City. The platform brings together leaders from around the world to discuss specific issues through dedicated agenda items and adopt respective resolutions.
In its latest bid to strengthen surveillance, Singapore deployed two robots to police bad behavior in public places. According to the press release shared by the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) of Singapore, the robots detected behavior such as the flouting of Covid-19 norms, smoking in prohibited areas, illegal hawking, improper parking of bicycles, and riding motorcycles on walking paths.
In 2020, over 600 corporations in the U.S. filed for bankruptcy. In India, that number touched 72. And in China, over 200,000 companies went bankrupt in the first two months of 2020. Declaring bankruptcy is becoming a common recourse for big and small companies. But what is causing companies to go bankrupt?
In 2020, over 240,000 people in the U.S. reported being victims of phishing. The second most commonly reported cybercrime was the non-delivery of products, followed by extortion. Cybercrimes are more rampant than ever. Recognizing that, 154 countries have enacted cybercrime legislation. Still, that has not deterred cybercriminals who steal information and money from vulnerable people and companies.
Footwear giant Nike witnessed a 3% dip in its shares as supply chain problems worsened. About three-fourths of Nike’s shoes are manufactured in Southeast Asia. Over 50% of them are made in Vietnam, where factories are shut due to Covid resurgence.
After the Evergrande crisis, another issue may threaten China’s GDP. This holiday season, some of us across the world may not get to buy smartphones and other goods for our loved ones. That’s because China’s state-mandated power cuts have forced factories to shut down and halt production. This will affect the supply of some sought-after products, like Apple and Tesla.
The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically impacted many sectors of the world economy. One of the sectors that fell on its face was the supply chain.The pandemic and lockdown have resulted in businesses’ inefficiency in meeting unprecedented consumer demand across all product categories. Recently, Morten Engelstoft, Chief Executive at Maersk-owned APM Terminal, echoed a similar sentiment.
On September 14, 2021, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) launched an investigation into Bytedance-owned TikTok, the popular video sharing app. This investigation comes as TikTok is already facing backlash regarding data privacy concerns. To know more about the app’s highs and lows in 2020, check out this article.
Every minute, nearly US$3 million is lost to cybercrime. And by 2025, cybercrime is set to cost the world over US$10 trillion. That cybercrime demands our immediate attention is evident. Cybercrimes are becoming easier and more prominent than ever before. A 2019 Global Data Risk Report revealed that, on average, only 5% of companies have properly protected their folders.
Deep technology is the latest addition to the startup universe and to the world of innovative problem-solving. The term “Deep Tech” was coined by Swati Chaturvedi, the founder of the digital investment platform PropelX. It refers to startup companies based on substantive scientific or technological innovation.
China’s second-largest property developer, Evergrande, is undergoing a severe liquidity crisis. The company’s shares are down 85% since January 2021, and they are US$300 billion in debt. In a bourse filing on September 14, 2021, Evergrande warned people of a possible liquidity crisis.
Over the last couple of years, tech giant Google has been getting caught up in antitrust lawsuits across the world. From 2017 to 2019, the tech company has been fined US$9.4 billion in Europe alone. In 2021, Google has been hit with a US$177 million fine in South Korea and is undergoing an investigation by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
Among the hundreds of carmakers worldwide, few are as self-assured as Elon Musk, the CEO of the world’s top electric car manufacturing company. That’s why Musk’s comment on car production being “hard” turned heads.
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