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The best tech deals we're expecting from Amazon Prime Day 2020

August 20, 2020, 9:34 am
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Prime Day Tech Deals 4x3

The best part of Amazon Prime Day is arguably the deals on consumer tech items, like headphones, laptops, and more. Usually, tech devices are expensive investments that you really have to mull over, but when a lot of the best devices go on sale, it's much easier to just hit "Add to Cart."

With likely just a few months to go before Prime Day 2020, since it's been pushed back to an unannounced date due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we've checked through our list of the best deals of 2019 to see how those products are priced today compared against their Prime Day discounts of last year. With this, you'll have a much better idea of which products are worth waiting to buy until Prime Day 2020 or just picking them up right now.

Whether you want a new laptop, tablet, phone, smart speaker, headphones, smart home tech, or accessories, there's not only going to be a Prime Day 2020 deal for you, there's likely a deal on Amazon for you right now.

Here are 10 of the most popular products we expect to see Prime Day 2020 deals for:

Echo Show

1. Amazon Echo Show, $179.99 (originally $229.99) [Was just $159.99 for Prime Day last year]

The Amazon Echo Show has a 10-inch screen so you can see visual answers to the questions you ask Alexa. You can also watch your favorite Prime Video shows on the screen, follow along with recipes, and more. Expect to see even bigger deals on this one for Prime Day 2020.

2. Google Pixel 3, $389.99(originally $799.00) [Was just $539.00 for Prime Day last year]

The Google Pixel 3 is still one of the best Android phones you can buy, thanks to its clean Android software, amazing cameras, and unique features. This phone is considerably cheaper now than it was last year, so buy away if you want an affordable flagship phone.

3. Samsung Galaxy S10, $599.99 (originally $899.99) and Galaxy S10+, $699.99 (originally $999.99) [Was $599.99/$699.99 for Prime Day last year]

Samsung's Galaxy S10 and S10+ are excellent smartphones with superb cameras and gorgeous edge-to-edge screens, and we anticipate more deals on these phones as Samsung's 2020 flagships release. Now, the phones are back to their Prime Day 2019 prices, so fire away if you're chomping at the bit for a cheaper Samsung flagship.

4. Kindle Oasis with 3 months free Kindle Unlimited, $249.99 (originally $254.99)[Was just $174.99 for Prime Day last year]

The Kindle Oasis is the best e-reader you can buy, and it's on sale. It has a sleek, slim design and page-turning buttons to make reading ebooks a pleasure. You better believe that Amazon's flagship Kindle will be on sale again.

5. Ring Video Doorbell Pro, $189.00 (originally $249.00) [Was just $169.00 for Prime Day last year]

The Ring Video Doorbell Pro will alert you when there's someone at the door. You can also talk to them whether you're at home or not. These are always a hit for Amazon, so expect more mega discounts. It's definitely cheaper right now, but we could see even steeper discounts for Prime Day 2020.

6. Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones, $199.98 (originally $299.95) [Was just $139.99 for Prime Day last year]

Beats makes great headphones, and the Solo3 on-ears are no exception. They're comfortable, offer great audio quality, and they're wireless. We'll likely see the next generation of Beats before Prime Day 2020, which means lots of excess stock to sell through at discount. [Currently out of stock.]

7. Apple Watch Series 4 (GPS, 40mm), $349.00 (originally $399.00) and (GPS, 44mm), $354 (originally $429) [Was $349.00/$354.00 for Prime Day last year]

The Series 4 Apple Watch will likely be on sale at a steep price slashing. The Series 4 will effectively become what the Series 3 was last year: two generations behind and therefore excellent deals fodder. [Currently out of stock.]

8. Sonos Beam sound bar, $397.87 (originally $499.99) [Was just $359.00 for Prime Day last year]

The Sonos Beam is one of our favorite sound bars, thanks to its Alexa voice control capability, great sound, and ease of use. It's easy to expect to see more discounts on Sonos' flagship speaker. We would wait on this one for a better Prime Day 2020 deal.

9. Apple AirPods with Charging Case, $139.00 (originally $159.00) and with Wireless Charging Case, $169.00 (originally $199.00) [Was just $144.99/$179.00 for Prime Day last year] 

AirPods are arguably the most popular truly wireless earbuds you can buy, and they're basically never on sale. Now, these two products are even cheaper than Prime Day of last year, so fire away.

10. Fitbit Alta HR, $99.99 (originally $129.95) [Was just $49.99 for Prime Day last year]

The Fitbit Alta HR is one of the best looking fitness trackers around. Plus, it has a heart rate monitor and it tracks workouts accurately. It's on sale right now, but not for anywhere near as cheap as it was for Prime Day last year.

Keep scrolling to see the best tech deals of Prime Day last year and how much those products cost now at the time of writing.

SEE ALSO: Amazon will be deeply discounting its Echo speakers and devices on Prime Day 2020 — here's every Echo deal you'll find

Amazon Echo deals

Amazon sells lots of different devices now, including smart speakers, tablets, streaming devices, Kindle ebook readers, and more. All of the company's devices are known for being affordable, but on Prime Day, they're even better deals.

Amazon's Echo made the smart speaker go mainstream and it's one of the best smart speakers you can buy — especially at these prices.

Those of you who have kids might also want to check out the Kids Editions of the Dot that are likely to be on sale again.

Here are the Amazon Echo device deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:

Here are the deals on Amazon device bundles we hope for from Prime Day 2020:



Amazon Kindle deals

Amazon's Kindles are the best e-readers you can buy, and they are sure to get steep price cuts for Prime Day 2020. Even the Kindle Oasis, which never goes on sale, received a discount last year.

Here are the deals on Kindles we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Amazon Fire tablet deals

The Fire tablets are excellent budget buys and purchases for kids, as their already low prices will have been slashed. Whether you want a tablet for yourself or for your kids, Amazon will have you covered.

Here are the deals on Fire tablets we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Amazon Fire TV deals

For those of you who need to turn an old TV into a smart TV, there are lots of Fire TV devices likely to be on sale, too.

Here are the deals on Fire TV devices we expect from Prime Day 2020:



TV deals

There's no time like the present to buy a TV. Prime Day has plenty of deals on 4K TVs, smart TVs, and big-screen TVs that normally cost a pretty penny. If you want to get one of the best TVs available for much less than list price, Prime Day and Black Friday are the best times to shop.

Here are the media streamer deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:

Here are the TV and projector deals we hope for from Prime Day 2020:



Smart home deals

Building a smart home requires buying several different devices that will all work together so you can seamlessly program and automate your home. Whether you want smart light bulbs, plugs, doorbells, security cameras, or something else there's a smart home device for you, and on Prime Day 2020, it will probably be on sale.

Here are the smart home deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Security camera deals

There are dozens of great security cameras out there, and many of them will be on sale for Prime Day. Being an Amazon company, Ring is expected to have several deals and bundles.

Here are the security camera deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Smartphone deals

Smartphones are arguably the most important devices in our lives now. We use them every day to communicate with loved ones, watch videos, listen to music, read, browse the web, take pictures, and so much more. Smartphones can be rather expensive these days, but there will certainly be several great phones on sale for Prime Day 2020.

Here are the smartphone deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Headphone deals

Headphones run the gamut from dirt cheap to quite expensive. If you want a reliable pair of headphones that looks stylish, sounds great, and feels comfortable to wear for long periods of time, it'll probably cost a couple hundred dollars at least, so it's wise to buy a new pair when they are so many on sale. Amazon will have a lot of great deals on headphones for Prime Day this year.

Here are the headphone deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Speaker deals

Outfitting your home with a great sound system can really elevate the way you listen to music and watch shows or movies. However, audio equipment can be expensive. Luckily, there will be at least a few excellent speakers on sale for Prime Day 2020.

Here are the speaker deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Soundbar deals

Soundbars can complete your home theater setup and greatly improve your movie nights. To deck out your TV with great audio, check out these soundbar deals.

Here are the soundbar deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Tablet deals

The iPad is widely regarded to be the best tablet you can buy, and we expect many to be on sale for Prime Day. You'll also find a number of other tablets for lower prices during Prime Day.

Here are the tablet deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Chromebook deals

Chromebooks are great budget-friendly laptops that are ideal for students and people who don't want to spend more than $600 on a laptop. With these likely deals, you'll be able to buy a great Chromebook for $300 or less.

Here are the Chromebook deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Laptop deals

Laptops are perhaps one of the most expensive and important buying decisions you can make, so it's nice when you can find some of the best ones on sale for a much more reasonable price. This Prime Day, we're anticipating several sweet deals on laptops. We've listed our expected deals below.

Here are the laptop deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Router deals

A decent router is the key to having reliable and fast internet at home. Mesh Wi-Fi systems help you get full coverage in large homes or spaces, and a few good ones will likely be on sale for Prime Day 2020.

Here are the router deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Monitor deals

Monitors give you a big screen to work and play on. Whether you want one for gaming or for work, there are sure to be plenty of great monitors on sale this summer.

Here are the monitor deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Smartwatch deals

Smartwatches and fitness trackers can help you stay active and stay in contact with the important people in your life. Smartwatches aren't always affordable, though, so it's ideal to buy them when they go on sale. Amazon had lots of sweet smartwatch deals for Prime Day last year that just might return for Prime Day 2020.

Here are the best smartwatch deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Fitness tracker deals

Fitness trackers can help you get in shape and stay fit. We expect to see several Garmin and Fitbit trackers on sale for Prime Day this year.

Here are the fitness tracker deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Camera and printer deals

Cameras aren't cheap, so this Prime Day is a good time to find a deal. Here's a list of all the best cameras on sale; we've also found deals on photography accessories and printers. There aren't many, but those that are on sale are good deals.

Here are the camera and accessory deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Tech accessory deals

For every tech device, there are dozens of accessories. It never hurts to stock up on charging cables, cases, and other essentials to ensure that your devices stay charged and protected. Whether you want charging cables, wireless chargers, cases, or other unique tech accessories, Amazon has a Prime Day deal for you.

Here are the mobile accessory deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:

Here are the computing accessory deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:

Here are the gaming accessory deals we expect from Prime Day 2020:



Tech deals under $100

Tech can be expensive, but when it goes on sale, you can get a lot of great devices and accessories for less than $100.

Here are the tech deals under $100 we expect from Prime Day 2020:



The best tech deals under $25

Usually, tech that costs less than $25 is just a bunch of cheaper accessories, but on big sale days like Prime Day, you can find a lot more for a lot less.

Here are the best tech deals under $25 we expect from Prime Day 2020:



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Elon Musk says Teslas will be able to blast jazz and elevator music through their external speakers

August 20, 2020, 9:40 am
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Elon Musk

  • Teslas may soon be able to play elevator music and jazz through their external speakers, according to a Thursday tweet from Elon Musk. 
  • It's not clear if Musk was serious about the new feature. 
  • Tesla is well known for including playful features and Easter eggs, such as a fart mode, in its cars.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, known for including features like "fart mode" on cars, said Thursday that a new Tesla feature may be in the works: the ability to blast elevator music and jazz via external speakers. 

Musk described it in a tweet, writing: "New Tesla feature coming that enables your car to play snake jazz or Polynesian elevator music through its outside speakers wherever you go." The speakers are primarily there to emit a pedestrian warning sound, as mandated by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration due to electric cars being nearly silent at low speeds. 

It's unclear as of yet whether the feature will come to fruition, and Tesla didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. But it's not unusual for Musk to announce new features, including just-for-kicks Easter eggs, via Twitter. For example, Musk at one point suggested that Tesla was working on a fart app, and the company actually went through with it.  

Musk has expressed his appreciation for elevator music and "snake jazz" in recent tweets. The latter is a reference to an episode of the animated television show "Rick and Morty."

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Lyft will shut down in California at midnight Thursday as its long-running labor dispute reaches a breaking point (UBER, LYFT)

August 20, 2020, 9:42 am
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Uber Lyft driver protests AB-5

  • Lyft said it's planning to shut down its app in California Thursday at midnight. 
  • The move comes after Uber and Lyft lost a lawsuit brought by the state's attorney general. A judge said drivers must be classified as employees. 
  • California accounts for about 16% of Lyft's overall business, the company said this month. 
  • Lyft's stock price plummeted more than 8% after the announcement. 
  • Uber has also threatened to shut down in the state, but had made no decision at the time of Lyft's announcement. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Lyft will shut down its app in California at 11:59 p.m. local time Thursday unless a judge grants its request for more time to appeal a ruling that and Uber must classify their drivers as employees. 

"Lyft cannot comply with the injunction at the flip of a switch," John Zimmer, Lyft's president, said last week during an earnings call. "Reclassifying tens of thousands of self-employed drivers would be a significant challenge in normal times. And in the current pandemic environment, that would be nearly impossible." 

The move comes after the two ride-hail companies lost a lawsuit brought by California's attorney general, accusing them of not complying with AB-5, the recently passed law that codifies how companies can delineate contractors from employees. The state said drivers must be considered employees; the companies maintain they are independent contractors. 

It's not clear when Lyft might resume service in the state, and it's still possible a judge could rule in the company's favor on Thursday.

Shares of the Lyft sank about 4.5% in trading Thursday after the announcement. 

"This is not something we wanted to do, as we know millions of Californians depend on Lyft for daily, essential trips," the company said in a blog post.

In November, Californians will vote on Proposition 22, which Uber and Lyft, alongside other gig-work firms, have supported as an alternative to current labor laws. The measure would create a pooled fund to pay for healthcare, overtime, and other benefits for workers that would follow them between apps and jobs. It would also allow workers to retain the flexibility that an overwhelming majority of them say is the biggest plus of the work. 

Uber has also threatened to shut down in California if the court does not rule in its favor on Thursday. 

"We can't go out and hire 50,000 people overnight," CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said at an event hosted by Recode on Thursday. "All of our model, everything that we have built, is based on this platform that brings earners and people who want transportation and delivery together. You can't flip that stuff overnight. It'll take time and we're going to figure out a way to be in California.

"We want to be in California, but if the court case comes in then we'll have to shut down," he continued. "We've got the best engineers in the world figuring out how we can rebuild this thing." 

This story is developing. Check back for updates....

SEE ALSO: Uber and Lyft are threatening to shut down their operations in California, and experts warn that 'drivers are the ones who get screwed'

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Chinese automaker Kandi is bringing a $9,999 electric car to the US, slashing the entry price of EV ownership

August 20, 2020, 9:56 am
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Kandi k23

  • Kandi Technologies Group, a Chinese auto company, recently debuted two ultra-affordable electric vehicles it's bringing to the US. 
  • After federal tax credits, Kandi's K27 and K23 hatchbacks will cost $12,999 and $22,499, respectively, the company said. 
  • Kandi said the first 1,000 preorders of each model will be discounted, bringing their total cost down to $9,999 and $19,999 after federal tax credits.
  • Kandi America plans to start deliveries in the fourth quarter of this year, and will initially focus on selling the cars in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A Chinese car company is launching two new battery-powered vehicles in the US, and if all goes according to plan, they're set to be the cheapest EVs available stateside by far. 

Kandi Technologies Group announced earlier this month that it's bringing the two EVs to market through its Kandi America arm this year, officially debuting the cars and opening preorders not long after. The cars — a tiny K27 and slightly larger K23 — will each cost less than $30,000, making them a fair bit cheaper than the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Bolt, Hyundai Kona Electric, Tesla Model 3, and any other BEV currently sold in the US. 

According to Kandi America, the K27 and K23 will retail for $19,999 and $29,999, respectively, which comes out to a paltry $12,999 and $22,499 after federal tax incentives. On top of that, Kandi also announced on Wednesday that it's discounting the first 1,000 preorders of each model, bringing the overall cost of a K23 to $19,999 and the price for a K27 to a mere $9,999. 

The deals are hard to pass up based on numbers alone, and we'll soon see how the EVs stack up on the value scale. 

Keep scrolling to take a closer look at the K27 and K23. 

Kandi Technologies Group — a Chinese manufacturer of electric vehicles and auto parts — is bringing two pint-sized electric vehicles to the US market, virtually debuting the cars on Tuesday.



They're set to become the cheapest EVs in the US, undercutting the Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Ioniq Electric, and other affordable options even before tax credits.



The tiny K27 model carries a retail price of $19,999, which comes out to $12,999 after federal tax breaks, according to Kandi America.



Not to mention, Kandi is dropping the price for the first 1,000 preorders for each model, meaning you can get your hands on a brand-new EV for just $9,999 after federal incentives and before other charges.



The ugly-cute EV comes with a 17.69 kWh battery, giving it a claimed range of 100 miles ...



... and a top speed of 63 mph.



All of that makes it ideal for city driving, Kandi says.



The larger K23 isn't cute — far from it, in fact — which might make it a hard sell among US buyers, who are already slow to switch to EVs.



But it's definitely the more capable offering of the two, at least according to the preliminary information Kandi has put out.



And with an MSRP of $29,999 — $22,499 after federal tax credits — it's pretty darn affordable, too.



Kandi is running the same promotion with the K23's first 1,000 preorders, bringing its price down to $19,999.



Kandi says the K23 "the size of a small SUV," which is a bit of a stretch. In reality, it's a bit smaller than the Honda Fit.



So while it seems to be significantly more spacious than its little sibling ...



... it's still pretty small.



And it only seats four.



Kandi claims an estimated range of 188 miles, which isn't too shabby when compared with other EVs on the cheaper side of the spectrum.



It comes with a 41.4 kWh battery, roughly the same as the base-model Leaf.



It boasts a top speed of 70 mph, according to Kandi, which theoretically makes it a bit more suited for highway driving than the K27.



Affordability is great — especially in an EV market with no sub-$30,000 options — but Kandi's cars will need to be more than inexpensive to capture the attention of US buyers.



Both models are available to preorder now with a $100 refundable deposit.



Sales will initially focus on the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where Kandi America is based. The company says deliveries will start in the fourth quarter of this year.



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The Apttus Story: The Scandalous Rise & Fall of a Startup CEO

August 20, 2020, 10:01 am
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When employees showed up to work at Apttus' San Mateo headquarters on July 2, 2018, they were shocked to learn that the startup's longtime CEO, Kirk Krappe, was no longer at the company. It didn't take long before rumors about Krappe's disappearance were swirling through the company's offices.

With promises of an eventual IPO, Krappe sold employees, customers, and investors on a Silicon Valley dream that in hindsight appeared to have been only loosely based in reality. Instead of a hot startup, the company Krappe created was by a number of accounts a lawless place where sexual harassment and inappropriate relationships were rampant at the highest levels.

The startup's still unfolding drama, if the allegations are true, shows how pervasively a company can be infected by toxic behavior once it's taken root at the top of the organization, and how easily it is allowed to happen in Silicon Valley.

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Business Insider Prime is publishing dozens of stories like this each and every day, chock full of exclusive content and industry analysis.

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The 35 best Google Docs keyboard shortcuts for speeding up your workflow on a Mac or PC

August 20, 2020, 10:10 am
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hands using keyboard computer

  • Google Docs has a vast array of keyboard shortcuts you can use to operate Docs faster and easier than ever. 
  • Google Docs' keyboard shortcuts perform the same functions on Windows and Mac devices, but the actual keys you need to press differ depending on the device you're using.
  • Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

If you've ever heard of keyboard shortcuts, you know that they can save you a lot of time when you're using software and applications like Microsoft Word. But did you know that Google Docs has keyboard shortcuts as well? Here's a list of the 35 best keyboard shortcuts for Google Docs, with guides for both Windows and Mac use.

The keys in each keyboard shortcut listed below should be pressed simultaneously (as indicated by a "-" sign between each key.)

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

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The 35 best Google Docs keyboard shortcuts on Windows

  • Copy: Ctrl-C
  • Cut: Ctrl-X
  • Paste: Ctrl-V
  • Paste without formatting: Ctrl-Shift-V
  • Undo action: Ctrl-Z
  • Redo action: Ctrl-Shift-Z
  • Insert or edit a link: Ctrl-K
  • Open a link: Alt-Enter
  • Show common keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl-/
  • Print: Ctrl-P
  • Find specific text in the document: Ctrl-F
  • Find and replace specific text in the document: Ctrl-H
  • Insert a page break: Ctrl-Enter
  • Repeat the previous action: Ctrl-Y
  • Bold text: Ctrl-B
  • Italicize text: Ctrl-i
  • Underline text: Ctrl-U
  • Strikethrough text: Alt-Shift-5
  • Clear text formatting: Ctrl-\ or Ctrl-Spacebar
  • Increase font size: Ctrl-Shift->
  • Decrease font size: Ctrl-Shift-<
  • Align text to the left: Ctrl-Shift-L
  • Align text to the right: Ctrl-Shift-R
  • Align text to the center: Ctrl-Shift-E
  • Justify text: Ctrl-Shift-J
  • Insert a numbered list: Ctrl-Shift-7
  • Insert a bulleted list: Ctrl-Shift-8
  • Move a paragraph up: Ctrl-Shift-Up
  • Move a paragraph down: Ctrl-Shift-Down
  • Insert a comment: Ctrl-Alt-M
  • Select all text in the document: Ctrl-A
  • Show document outline: hold Ctrl-Alt, then press A followed by H
  • View document word count: Ctrl-Shift-C
  • Go up on the page: Fn-Up
  • Go down on the page: Fn-Down

The 35 best Google Docs keyboard shortcuts on Mac

  • Copy: Command-C
  • Cut: Command-X
  • Paste: Command-V
  • Paste without formatting: Command-Shift-V
  • Undo action: Command-Z
  • Redo action: Command-Shift-Z
  • Insert or edit a link: Command-K
  • Open a link: Option-Enter
  • Show common keyboard shortcuts: Command-/
  • Print: Command-P
  • Find specific text in the document: Command-F
  • Find and replace specific text in the document: Command-H
  • Insert a page break: Command-Enter
  • Repeat the previous action: Command-Y
  • Bold text: Command-B
  • Italicize text: Command-i
  • Underline text: Command-U
  • Strikethrough text: Command-Shift-X
  • Clear text formatting: Command-\
  • Increase font size: Command-Shift->
  • Decrease font size: Command-Shift-<
  • Align text to the left: Command-Shift-L
  • Align text to the right: Command-Shift-R
  • Align text to the center: Command-Shift-E
  • Justify text: Command-Shift-J
  • Insert a numbered list: Command-Shift-7
  • Insert a bulleted list: Command-Shift-8
  • Move a paragraph up: Command-Shift-Up
  • Move a paragraph down: Command-Shift-Down
  • Insert a comment: Command-Option-M
  • Select all text in the document: Command-A
  • Show document outline: hold Ctrl-Command, then press A followed by H
  • View document word count: Command-Shift-C
  • Go up on the page: Page Up
  • Go down on the page: Page Down

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

SEE ALSO: The best Google Assistant smart speakers

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Included VC is a 12-month fully funded fellowship in Europe that aims to make tech investing less male, stale, and pale

August 22, 2020, 12:01 am
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Included VC 5.JPG

  • Despite attempts at improvement, venture capital remains an overtly white and male profession even as evidence suggests that diversity can boost the performance of funds and helps find new opportunities. 
  • Research indicates that IPO success rates decline by 26.4% when investment partners have the same ethnicity. Women also have an outsized impact on investment success. 
  • London-based Included VC is a fellowship programme aimed at improving access and representation in venture capital and is backed by a number of top VC funds. 
  • "The belief we have is that entrepreneurs come from everywhere and they are outliers so looking in the same place for them isn't going to work," Nikita Thakrar, cofounder and director at Included VC, told Business Insider in an interview. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

In the wake of widespread Black Lives Matter protests, larger businesses in the US and Europe have accepted that lacking diversity in their operations is a pressing issue. With that has come an acceptance that existing power structures often preclude minorities from accessing certain industries.

Venture capital, often kingmakers for the technology services we rely on daily, is badly impacted by a lack of diversity.

"The gender and racial makeup of the venture capital industry is staggeringly homogeneous," according to a Harvard Business Review paper written by Paul Gompers and Silpa Kovvali in 2018. 

The industry is predominantly white and male and despite attempts to change that only 8% of VC investors in the US are women per the 2018 paper. 

In the UK, it's estimated that only 1p in every £1 invested in the country goes to female-led companies. Women made up 30% of venture capital personnel in 2019, per Diversity VC. Similarly, only 24% of venture investors in the UK identify as an ethnic minority. 

Included VC, a London-based fellowship programme for prospective investors, startup founders, and other sector participants, is seeking to provide a solution.

The group is backed by a variety of venture capital funds in London and elsewhere and is now onto its second fellowship. The programme lasts for 12 months and is fully funded for all 40 fellows.

"The VC landscape is broader reflection of wider societal problems," Nikita Thakrar, cofounder and director at Included VC, told Business Insider in an interview. "It's not about diversity to virtue signal, you will maximize your fund returns due to the diversity dividend."

Research indicates that IPO success rates decline by 26.4% when investment partners come from the same ethnic background. Alongside this, venture capital firms that increased their proportion of female partner hires by 10% saw, on average, a 1.5% spike in overall fund returns each year and had 9.7% more profitable exits, per Harvard Business Review. 

Funds including Notion Capital (which helped originate the programme), Seedcamp, Creandum, Daphni, and more recently Microsoft's venture fund, M12, are partners to the fellowship. 

For Otitooluwa Dosumu, a fellow from Nigeria now living in Lisbon as part of a PhD programme, being the only black person in the room was nothing new. He believes that greater knowledge about the options available to potential investors can help change things. 

Otitooluwa Dosumu

"There are not many African founders that get VC funding because many [founders] don't know VC exists or how to get that information," he told Business Insider. "Understanding where you can get money for your innovation, how to construct a pitch deck, how to pitch, how to position in the market, are all key skills." 

Dosumu now gives some of his time to help the African diaspora in Lisbon while also helping to bridge the gap between his community in Nigeria and better access to capital through an NGO. 

Improving access is also a major focus for Sorcha Killian, a fellow from Ireland who has previously worked with startups as part of her course at Dublin City University and through working for Dublin-based conference company Web Summit. 

"It's so ingrained in people what venture is, venture is not just software and I want to try and change that," she told Business Insider in an interview. "Just because it's not an app doesn't mean it's not a venture company."

Considering diversity of thought can also help to amplify exposure to markets which may not have previously received much VC attention. "The belief we have is that entrepreneurs come from everywhere and they are outliers so looking in the same place for them isn't going to work," Thakrar added. 

Included VC acknowledges that there is no overnight fix to these issues but that over a five- to seven-year horizon a real reimagination of the industry can take place.

Thakrar said new funds are increasingly interested in partnering with the programme and that more investors are seeing the value of having wider pools of talent from which to choose. 

SEE ALSO: Female founders get just 1% of VC funding. Now 30 startup investors will hold free office hours while stuck at home during COVID-19 to try and redress the balance.

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Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has scored an $86 billion gain on Apple — more than the famed investor's entire net worth

August 22, 2020, 12:43 am
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  • Warren Buffett's gain on his Apple investment easily exceeds his personal fortune.
  • The billionaire investor's Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate spent about $35 billion to buy 245 million Apple shares that are now worth about $122 billion, representing a gain of more than $80 billion.
  • Buffett's net worth has sunk by $11 billion this year to $78 billion, reflecting a decline in Berkshire's share price and his philanthropy.
  • Berkshire's Apple stake is worth more than four times as much as its Bank of America position, the second-largest holding in its portfolio.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has made more money on Apple than Buffett himself is currently worth.

The famed investor's conglomerate spent about $35 billion to amass roughly 245 million Apple shares between 2016 and 2018. Apple's stock price has skyrocketed since then, boosting the value of Berkshire's 5.7% stake to about $122 billion as of Friday's close — an investment gain of around $87 billion.

Meanwhile, Buffett's net worth has dropped by $11 billion this year to about $78 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Read more: MORGAN STANLEY: Buy these 22 stocks that are slashing costs as sales take a hit from COVID-19 — putting them in position to smash the market as the economic recovery continues 

Apple shares have soared 66% this year, lifting the iPhone maker's market capitalization past the $2 trillion mark for the first time ever this week. Investors are betting the coronavirus pandemic will lead to people relying more on Apple devices and services to inform and entertain themselves and stay in touch with others.

Buffett's shrinking fortune primarily reflects a 9% slump in Berkshire's stock price this year, which has slashed the value of his 15.5% stake in the company.

The investor also donated $2.9 billion of his Berkshire stock to philanthropic causes in July, bringing his total contributions to $37 billion over the past 14 years.

Read more: JPMorgan pinpoints the triggers for a bond sell-off that can cause unusually large losses in everything from stocks to gold — and lays out how to be ready for it

Apple's surging valuation has made it a disproportionately large part of Berkshire's business.

For example, Berkshire's Apple stake is worth more than four times as much the second-biggest holding in its stock portfolio, a $26 billion position in Bank of America. Apple now makes up about 50% of the portfolio's entire value, finance professor David Kass tweeted on Friday.

Moreover, Berkshire's $122 billion of Apple stock represents about 25% of the conglomerate's $495 billion market capitalization. Buffett's company also had $147 billion in cash at the last count, meaning its Apple shares and cash are together worth more than 50% of its market cap.

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This pitch deck helped Australian tech unicorn Canva on its journey to a massive $6 billion valuation

August 22, 2020, 2:00 am
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Melanie Perkins CEO and CoFounder at Canva (1)

  • Australian design unicorn Canva recently raised $60 million in fundraising – doubling its valuation to a massive $6 billion. 
  • The Sydney-based startup – known as the design platform for non-designers – boasts more than 30 million users in businesses and schools around the world. 
  • Canva has faced skepticism from some investors who want to see the profit margins to accompany its ballooning valuation.
  • We got an exclusive look at the first pitch deck Canva used on the road to becoming a tech unicorn. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Canva, the Australian tech unicorn, recently raised $60 million in a fundraising round backed by Sequoia Capital, Bond, and General Catalyst – and doubled its valuation in the process. 

The Sydney-based startup, dubbed the "design platform for non-designers", had previously been valued at $3.2 billion, but after its latest fundraising round, that jumped to a whopping $6 billion.

The new valuation comes as the number of Canva users continues to grow worldwide. Currently, more than 30 million people use the platform each month to design content, with around new 80 designs made every second.

Now, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the firm has reported a surge in users, with the number of people using Canva rising more than 50% since the start of the outbreak late last year. 

Still, Canva has faced skepticism from some observers in an era when the term "unicorn" – meaning a company worth more than $1 billion – attracts considerable buzz. 

Forager Funds' Steve Johnson told the Australian Financial Review in 2019 he prefers to know a company's profit margins rather than its revenue before investing in it.

"Canva may turn out to be one of the great ones that are undoubtedly there – it's why there's a bubble in tech valuations," he said. "But would I rather pay $3 billion for something that's still mostly promises, or $30 billion for something ... that is established, profitable and owns its space? I'll take the latter."

Canva's most recent financial results for its Australian arm were published in March, and showed the company made AUD86.3 million ($62 million) in revenue for its local entity in 2018, on a loss of AUD4.1 million ($2.9 million).

Check out the first pitch deck Canva ever used to raise funds below: 



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'Mock flights' entice restless holidaymakers who have been left grounded because of coronavirus travel restrictions

August 22, 2020, 2:48 am
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  • A Japanese virtual reality company is offering "mock flights" which let passengers sit in fake airline cabins while being served in-flight meals and drinks.
  • First Airlines has seen an increase of interest since the start of the pandemic as more holidaymakers are grounded due to coronavirus travel restrictions. 
  • The two-hour virtual reality experience enables passengers to "travel" to cities such as Paris and New York without actually ever taking off. 
  • As millions of people are staying at home, there's a growing interest in the mock flight trend.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A Japanese virtual reality company allows people to enjoy all the perks of flying on a plane — without ever taking off.

For only 6,580 yen ($62) per ticket, Tokyo entertainment company First Airlines offers "mock flights," which let passengers sit in fake airline cabins while being served in-flight meals and drinks.

The two-hour virtual reality experience comes complete with a comfortable first-class seat, four-course meal, and even window TV screens that replicate different outside views.

Passengers are also issued a "boarding pass" and are required to "check-in" and flight attendants carry out safety protocols.

First Airlines jets its passengers to long-haul "destinations," including Paris, New Zealand, Rome, New York, California, Helsinki, and Hawaii. 

But since they're not physically arriving in these places, passengers are instead given VR headsets, which provide them on-ground tours and experiences as if they were there.

Japan first airlines

"I often go overseas on business, but I haven't been to Italy," one local businessman who tried the experience, told Reuters. 

"My impression was rather good because I got a sense of actually seeing things there," he added.

The company even customizes the meals it serves, depending on the "flight" destination.

On the flight to Rome, passengers enjoy a menu consisting of classic dishes like tiramisu and minestrone soup. The New York menu includes Manhattan clam chowder and cheesecake.

first airlines japan

First Airlines was founded in 2017 but is only really taking off now, as millions are grounded due to coronavirus restrictions. 

According to its president, Hiroaki Abe, bookings are up about 50% since the pandemic began. 

"We get some customers who normally travel to Hawaii every year and they can experience some of that here," Abe said, according to Reuters.

More companies are embracing the "mock flight" trend

First Airlines in Japan is not the only company coming up with quirky ideas to keep "travelers" entertained.

Australian airline Qantas announced earlier this month that it will be running sightseeing flights over Antarctica. In a 12-hour long journey, passengers will get to fly over the icy expanse of the continent, before landing back where they took off.

The flights, operated by tour company Antarctica Flights, are considered domestic because passengers technically don't leave the country since they never disembark the plane. 

"There is no passport or luggage needed for an Antarctica Flight, you can even go in board shorts if you wish," Antarctica Flights CEO Bas Bosschieter told 7News Australia.

"I personally think it's the best answer to the question 'What did you get up to on the weekend? Just popped down to Antarctica,'" Bosschieter added.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese carrier EVA Air is also offering a sightseeing flight over Taiwan's coastline — although it will only be three hours long and is Hello Kitty-themed.

For $180 per person, the flight will circle of Taiwan's coastline, continue on to Japan's Ryukyu Islands, before returning to the same air hub it departed from.

As they fly, the passengers will be able to "overlook the magnificent scenery of Taiwan's east coastline" while sitting in Hello Kitty-themed chairs and being served Hello Kitty-shaped food, according to The Washington Post.

"The onboard meal [was] a selection of seafood chirashi-sushi rice designed by Michelin-starred chef Motoke Nakamura," EVA Air said in a news release.

 

Going on a "mock flight" is not an option for some people, which is why they've been taking to social media to recreate the flight experience at home instead.

People on social media have been recreating their travel or flight experiences from their homes, using nothing more than everyday household items like toilet seats, treadmills, and their washing machine. 

One Dutch TikTok user, Jeroen Gortworst, went viral after he recreated an airplane experience in his laundry room in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

 

"We got so many messages like, 'Thanks for making my day. These are pretty sad times and this is what we need right now,'" Gortworst previously told Insider. "We got all sorts of messages and all of them were positive."

The airline industry has been one of the worst-affected sectors in the coronavirus pandemic. It is set to lose $84 billion this year alone, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in June.

The road to recovery will not be as smooth for the industry as many had hoped. According to IATA, which represents most of the world's major airlines, the industry will not bounce back until 2024.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We tested a machine that brews beer at the push of a button

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Tesla employees heading to Austin for the upcoming Cybertruck factory are in for a red-hot real estate market (TSLA)

August 22, 2020, 4:49 am
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  • In July, Tesla in July picked Austin, Texas, as the site for its eventual Cybertruck factory. 
  • The company's broken ground on the project, and one real-estate agent said employees are already looking for homes in the city. 
  • Unlike San Francisco or New York, home prices haven't dipped much in Texas. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Any Tesla employees relocating to Austin for the company's upcoming Cybertruck factory won't be met by the same reprieve in real-estate prices that's hit many other areas of the country.

Home prices in the Texas Capital are still surging, despite some markets seeing a dip due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated unemployment rates. But now, would-be buyers have increased competition: Tesla employees.

One real-estate agent told the Austin Business Journal she knew of least two Tesla employees on the hunt, often seeing multiple homes a day for a string of days as the company begins work on its newest factory.

Unlike the company's home base in the San Francisco Bay Area, where deserting workers left a glut of homes for sale and rent, median home prices in Austin rose 10% in July over last year, according to the local board of realtors. Total active listings, meanwhile, dropped 32% while closed sales surged 21%.

Tesla plans to hire up to 5,000 workers at the new factory, where it will build its futuristic-looking Cybertruck. The company pledged to make many local hires for the largely low-skill positions, but didn't say what percentage of overall workforce might eventually relocated to Texas. However, CEO Elon Musk has voiced interest in moving the company's main headquarters out of California.

"If people are interested in designing new lines and trying to do things different, Tesla's got a job for you," Jerome Guillen, Tesla's president of automotive, said in July. "And now we've got jobs everywhere. It's not only in California. Now we've got jobs in China, in Berlin, in Austin, Texas, and in California."

On Friday, the National Association of Realtors said existing US existing home sales surged a record 24.7% in another sign of a housing-market recovery. It's the second month in a row that sales and home prices have increased after an initial slowdown from the pandemic.

In Austin specifically, unemployment rates have also fared better than the national average. Just 6.7% of workers in the Texas capital were out of work in July, the Texas Workforce Commission said, compared to a national average of 10.2%— another good sign for Tesla's choice.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We tested a machine that brews beer at the push of a button

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Two engine setups turn the new Toyota Supra into two totally different — and compelling — sports cars

August 22, 2020, 5:06 am
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  • Last year, Toyota brought back the legendary Supra. For the 2021 model year, it updated the launch edition of the two-door, which shares a lot of DNA with the BMW Z4.
  • I tested the new GR Supra 3.0 and Supra 2.0.
  • The Supra 3.0 has a 3.0-liter 382-horsepower inline six-cylinder engine; the 2.0 has a 2.0-liter inline four, making 255 horsepower.
  • Both versions are compelling, with the 3.0 offering more straight-ahead velocity and the 2.0 providing a lighter, dartier vibe.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

When Toyota revived the Supra last year, my big question was whether the newly created version of the iconic car could live up to its reputation as being just one of those cars. Fortunately for Toyota, it did, and then some. "This car has massive punch and ferocious composure," I wrote. "It's hot in a straight line, but it's a thing of beauty when slung into a corner, and the steering is just about perfect."

So when Toyota trotted out the Supra 2.0, which swaps the 3-liter 6-cylinder engine for a 2-liter 4-cylinder, my question became, Why risk confusing the market by offering two versions of an already excellent car?

I'll get to the answer in just a bit. But for now, let's consider what we have before us: a legendary nameplate, with two powerplants under the hood. The horsepower difference between them is over 100 ponies. They look the same, but behind the wheel, they're quite distinctive. And they're each quite compelling. 

Read on to find out how and why:

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My Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Premium test car was from the 2021 model year and arrived wearing an "Absolute Zero" white paint job. Price? Toyota didn't list it for my tester, but it's around $55,000 to start.



The 2021 Supra 3.0 benefited from a passel of updates to the 2020 car.



The design, of course, wasn't really altered, despite the variety of under-the-hood upgrades.



I'm not a fan of the busy, folded, swoopy sheet metal.



I could do without some the pointless exterior details like the faux door vents, but whatever.



You just have to get used to the extraneous plastic. And then the Supra can grow on you.



My tester has 19-inch forged aluminum wheels front and rear ...



... Along with red brake calipers and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires all the way around.



The front end is emblematic of my like/not-like relationship with the Supra. I don't wanna favor those L-shaped scoops, the headlights have that odd thingy extending at the bottom ...



... But change the angle and it looks better. Those LED headlights are quite effective, by the way.



Change the angle again, and it's kinda too much. Luckily, the front aero isn't so snug to the ground that you have to be scrupulous about entering sloped driveways.



The hatch terminated in a flipped-up spoiler. Which is sort of oddly shaped.



Peer closely at the lower part of the back end and you can glimpse a modest diffuser.



The dual pipes are a nice touch, as are the broad rear haunches.



Designer Nobuo Nakamura clearly executed an overall vision with the Supra. But it might not be for everybody.



Let's pop the hatch and see what we can see in the cargo hold.



Sigh. There's less that 10 cubic-feet to work with.



You could stow a couple of overnight bags. I think a golf bag might be a challenge.



Let's slip inside and sample the interior (no fancy names, by the way — just "Black").



Its two seats are cozy, but you knew that. What else could you expect from a sporty coupé?



Toyota does a nice seat! The Supras have cut-outs to accommodate a racing harness, and you get some excellent bolstering.



The leather wrapped steering wheel is the usual multifunction affair ...



... And the instrument cluster is refreshingly simple.



The Supra has paddle shifters for auto-manual driving ...



... But I wound up using them sparingly. The regular auto delivered plenty satisfying performance.



The most prominent interior design feature is the carbon-fiber trim.



The wireless charging cubby is sort of difficult to access, but it works fine once you get your phone in there.



Something to admire: Toyota has enabled just two drive modes for the Supra — Normal and Sport. In a world of seemingly endless configurations, I appreciated the simplicity.



The joystick shifter takes some getting used to.



Toyota co-developed the car with BMW (the Z4 is the Supra's mechanical sibling), and it shows in the iDrive-ish buttons-and-knob interface controls ...



... and in the 8.8-inch infotainment screen. If it looks as though it was taken from a BMW, it basically was.



The system requires some initial processing of submenus, but it achieves its objectives. Navigation is good, Bluetooth connectivity is seamless, and there's a USB port for device integration.



Time to pop the hood!



That's a 382-horsepower, inline six-cylinder engine, with a twin-scroll turbocharger. It makes 368 pound-feet of torque.



The power is sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic. The Supra GR I drove last year made 335 horsepower with 365 pound-feet of torque. My 0-60 mph time in 2019 was around four seconds, and the new 3.0 Supra was a tad faster.



Now, let's have a look at the GR Supra 2.0! In "Renaissance Red," it started at around $43,000.



Time to look under the hood of the lesser Supra.



Minus the bracing, this guy looks the same as its bigger brother, but under the engine cowling is a 255-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, making 295 pound-feet of torque. That's a significant drop from the six-banger. The eight-speed auto remains.



The 0-60 mph dash in the 2.0 Supe passed ... well, in a notably more leisurely manner than in the 3.0. It's supposed to be five seconds. I thought it was slower than that in an unofficial test.



But the 2.0 is serious fun once the car gets up to speed. I took it on a long drive — about 200 miles round-trip — and zipped around many a semi on the highway.



The 2.0 is also lighter than the 3.0 — by just over 200 pounds. On the road, I didn't really detect any major differences, but on windy roads, the 2.0 had a more feathery demeanor.



So what's the verdict on the two flavors of Supra?

To be honest, it's all sort of weird. In the Supra 3.0, I sometimes thought: Overpowered! In the 2.0: Underpowered! But then I hammered the 3.0's throttle or powered out of a curve and thought: Yes! Or it tossed the 2.0 into a corner and thought: Sweet!

It's not hard to see how this shakes out. As I described it to my 14-year-old son as we discussed the pros and cons of each trim, the 3.0 is fast, while the 2.0 is quick. Stated another way, the 2.0 is objectively slow, but you don't really need the speed to have fun with it. And the 3.0 is objectively speedy — and that's a good thing if you want to feel the car serve up its power.

So why did Toyota update the Supra so soon after rolling out the new car? Well, on the 2.0 side, it was to offer a less expensive ride. But for the 3.0, the car has been retuned to greater stability; like a lot of reviewers, I felt like the Supra GR wanted to sling its rear wheels around (not that I asked it to do so, given that I don't track-test vehicles).

So Toyota tamed that eager oversteer by revamping the suspension and drivetrain settings to make the coupé more manageable at speed. In my hands, the 3.0 remained a go-fast-on-the-freeway sportster, but I did notice that the car had a more planted demeanor. On my first go-around, I compared the Supra to the Subaru BRZ, a car that I find wants to rotate at 40 mph. Not a bad thing. But evidently not a good thing as the speedo climbs higher. Ergo, the changes to the Supra.

Ultimately, I'd be happier with the 2.0, as I'd enjoy the driving dynamics at the speeds I typically experience, but when getting on it, I'd have access to all the horsepower the engine has on offer (as well as more turbo lag than with the 3.0, but you can't have everything).



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Apple helped build a top secret iPod for the government that only 4 people at the company even knew existed, former engineer says (AAPL)

August 22, 2020, 5:10 am
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  • Apple helped the US Department of Energy develop a special iPod that only four people within the company knew about, a former engineer revealed.
  • The DOE was looking to add custom hardware to an iPod and covertly record data from that hardware to the iPod's disk.
  • It's unclear what the secret iPod was intended for, but Nest founder and iPod co-inventor Tony Fadell confirmed the project in a series of tweets. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple helped develop a special iPod that was so secretive only four people at the company even knew it existed, a former Apple engineer revealed this week.

David Shayer, who says he was the second software engineer hired for the iPod back in 2001, said he was tasked with a special assignment in 2005, according to a post he wrote on TidBits.

The US Department of Energy was looking to add custom hardware to an iPod and covertly record data from such hardware to the iPod's disk.  It was Shayer's job to provide two men from Bechtel, a contractor for the DOE, with any assistance needed from Apple.  

Apple and the Department of Energy did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. 

Little details are known about the iPod or what it was designed to do. But Shayer described how he showed the two men how to "set up the development tools, build a copy of the operating system from a source, and load it onto the iPod." Shayer speculates that the special iPod may have been a "stealth Geiger counter," but there's no way to know for sure.

The only people at Apple who knew about the project were Shayer, the director of iPod software, the vice president of the iPod division, and the senior vice president of hardware, he said.

Tony Fadell, the Nest co-founder who co-created the iPod during his time at Apple in the early 2000s, also corroborated Shayer's story in a series of tweets. Matt Rogers, who also co-founded Nest, chimed in to say he remembered seeing the two men Shayer described around the office. 

"The project was real [without] a doubt," Fadell tweeted.  

 

According to Rogers' tweet, it was "super unusual" to have unfamiliar people in the office around that time. But being Apple, of course, the two men from Bechtel were subject to a variety of restrictions in order for the company to maintain secrecy.

Shayer even had the IT department reroute the Ethernet to connect only to the public internet so that the two men couldn't access Apple's internal network. They also weren't allowed to access Apple's source code server directly, so Shayer had to give it to them on a DVD. That DVD wasn't allowed to leave the building either.

"This wasn't a collaboration with Bechtel with a contract and payment; it was Apple doing a favor under the table for the Department of Energy," Shayer wrote. "But access for that favor only went so far."

SEE ALSO: Apple and Samsung newest phones use a little-known technology that lets your phone understand exactly where it is — and could mean you never misplace anything again

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NOW WATCH: What makes 'Parasite' so shocking is the twist that happens in a 10-minute sequence

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Amazon started showing a favored metric for advertisers this month, making it easier for large brands to compare ad efficiency against Google and Facebook (AMZN)

August 22, 2020, 5:15 am
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  • Amazon made a metric called "return on ad spend," or ROAS, available on its ad service for sponsored ads this month.
  • Until now, advertisers had to use a different metric called "advertising cost of sales," or ACOS, to track their ad effectiveness on Amazon.
  • Ad agencies say the update makes it easier to compare ad efficiencies against other ad platforms, like Google and Facebook, and is part of Amazon's effort to attract bigger ad buyers.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Amazon has made a more conventional metric available to advertisers on its site this month, a move experts say could help make its ad service more appealing to big brands.

The metric, called "return on ad spend," or ROAS, is commonly used among advertisers to measure their ad efficiency. The number is derived by dividing the total sales generated by the advertising spend. For example, if you spend $10 on an ad campaign that generates $200 in revenue, the ROAS is 20.

Before the ROAS availability, Amazon advertisers were using a metric called "advertising cost of sales," or ACOS, instead, to measure the effectiveness of their ads. ACOS is calculated by dividing the advertising spend by total sales generated — or by simply flipping ROAS. For example, if you spend $10 on an ad campaign that generates $200 in revenue, the ACOS is 5%.

On the surface, the move to ROAS may not be a significant development, as it's a direct inverse of the ratio that advertisers were already using. But Amazon advertisers have been calling for this change for a long time, especially the large brands, as ROAS is more commonly used on other ad services, like Facebook and Google, according to ad agencies. 

"By including the ROAS metrics for everyone, Amazon makes it easier for advertisers to compare like-for-like with other channels," said Andrew Waber, director of insights at Teikametrics, a company that helps merchants sell on Amazon.

Amazon's spokesperson confirmed the change in an email to Business Insider, saying the update was recently made across its sponsored ads service, or the ads that show up next to search results on Amazon.

"We're always evolving our tools and products to better serve our advertisers, and look to serve them in a variety of ways based on their needs and goals," Amazon's spokesperson said in a statement.

'Heavily requested'

Franz Jordan, CEO of Sellics, an agency that helps sellers on Amazon, said ROAS has been "heavily requested" by larger advertisers because it's the "standard advertising metric" used on other ad platforms. While ACOS is popular among the smaller sellers on Amazon, it's still an "outlier" in the mainstream advertising space, he said. 

The move is all part of Amazon's broader effort to cater to larger advertisers, Jordan said. Amazon has made a series of moves in recent years to become more attractive to larger brands. For example, it's invested heavily in newer ad features, like video and content, and has been growing its platform that sells ads showing up on non-Amazon sites, by using Amazon's own data for targeting purposes.

Amazon is also holding a big advertising conference, called AdCon, for the second straight year, showing its commitment to promoting its fast-growing ad service.

"It's no secret that Amazon advertising also wants to appeal to larger brands," Jordan said.

Amazon's ad business, which largely makes money by charging sellers and brands to promote their products on its site, recorded $4.2 billion in sales in its most recent quarter, up 41% from the year-ago period. According to eMarketer, Amazon is expected to own 9.5% of the US digital market this year, behind only Google and Facebook, which control a combined 53% of the market.

There's another benefit to showcasing ROAS over ACOS: it sounds more positive. Ad agencies say while the two metrics are effectively measuring the same thing, ROAS has a more positive air to it because it tells you how much return you have generated as opposed to ACOS, which shows how much margin you are paying to Amazon.

"This is largely a step towards maturing and simplifying the lives of the advertisers measuring ads on Amazon," said Sreenath Reddy, founder of Intentwise, an ad agency for Amazon sellers.

SEE ALSO: Amazon quietly launched a new website for its big ad conference, which returns for its second straight year amid the company's surging digital ad sales

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A Trump win in November helps Tesla's competitors — but it doesn't make life any easier for Big Auto in the long run (TSLA)

August 22, 2020, 5:27 am
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  • The major automakers have benefitted from Trump's policies and tax cuts.
  • But Big Auto has also had to deal with Trump's constant provocations and chaotic approach to global business and trade.
  • A Biden win in November could restore policies that support Tesla.
  • But a change in administration could also help traditional automakers catch up to Tesla, which dominates the electric-vehicle market.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Nearly four years of President Trump haven't been good for Tesla. Although CEO Elon Musk moved quickly to develop a relationship with the new administration in 2017, whatever bonds of opportunity were formed rapidly degraded, then collapsed amid Trump's contempt for the Paris climate accords, when Musk resigned from a White House committee of CEOs.

Over the next few years, Trump moved to roll back fuel-economy and emissions regulations that were established late in the Obama administration. And while that created some unforeseen negative consequences for traditional carmakers when California decided to fight for its historic privilege to set its own standard — and a bunch of automakers doing business in the US joined with the Golden State — it led to a compromise that softened the pre-Trump mandates.

Meanwhile, Tesla crossed the 200,000-vehicle sales mark, triggering a phased reduction of the $7,500 federal tax credit, with no federal action to extend it. It isn't clear that a Democrat in the White House would have been able to do anything about that, but Trump and a GOP-dominated, or even divided Congress wasn't going to prolong this supportive measure for Tesla sales.

As much trouble as Trump has caused for US automakers — beginning with his 2016 campaign attacks on Ford for plans to build a factory in Mexico, continuing with his Twitter assaults on GM for shuttering a factory in Ohio, and culminating in a showboating invocation of the Defense Production Act to compel GM to manufacture ventilators during the coronavirus pandemic when the company had already started doing just that— his corporate tax cut and incessant trade-war saber-rattling toward the Germans and the Japanese have almost made the political melodrama worth it.

So the big question now is: "If Trump loses in November, what does that mean for Tesla?"

A Biden White House would be great for Tesla. A Democratic Congress would be even better.

aoc joe biden

It means Tesla could count on the federal government putting some considerable wind back in its sails. Remember, Tesla isn't just a car company — it's also an energy company, and it's a safe bet that Joe Biden in the White House and a Congress run by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are going to move quickly and aggressively to enact legislation based on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal. Pelosi made a choice between global warming and Obamacare in President Obama's first term — she's unlikely to miss a second crack at what many younger voters consider the core issue of their futures.

Most of the major automakers are already positioning for this, regardless of who wins in November, mainly because they see the next two decades as a period of transformation away from gas-powered engines to electrification in both Europe and in China, which is the world's biggest growth market. Big Auto has to develop vehicles now that it hopes to sell in 2025 and beyond.

But they'd prefer to operate on their own timetables, and the Detroit Big Three — GM, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles — also want to sell as many highly-profitable big pickup trucks and SUVs as possible while the selling is still good in the US. They lose money on EVs and hybrids, but they know they'll need those technologies to compete tomorrow. And lacking Tesla's access to capital markets to raise funds by issuing new stock, they have to create their cash flow the old fashioned way: by serving consumers and by tapping debt markets. 

Detroit didn't reckon with Trump's chaos

GM EV Barra

A Trump win, as a business matter, would be quite supportive of that play-both-sides strategy. That was why the car industry in the US was generally OK with Trump's win 2016; it thought the worst outcome would be a border tax with Mexico and Canada that would create cost challenges in the supply chain. But compensation would come from the corporate tax cut and in generally lenient, market-boosting Federal Reserve policies on interest rates that would maintain free-flowing credit for consumers.

What Detroit failed to anticipate was the level of chaos that Trump would bring to the task of managing sprawling global operations. Almost immediately, Trump's disorganized, real-estate pseudo-tycoon's approach collided with the extreme professionalism of auto execs with Harvard MBA's and decades of experience running companies with tens of billions in revenue sloshing through the balance sheets every quarter. 

Still, the bottom line for traditional automakers is that a Trump loss potentially means more regulations, higher taxes, and a push to develop what remain largely profitless EVs for a market that, worldwide, represents only about 2% of sales. If Detroit had any doubts, last week's Democratic National Convention should have put them to rest.

But that doesn't mean a Biden victory should throw them into a panic. Quite the contrary: While a Biden-Harris White House would be good for Tesla, it could be even better for the traditional automakers.

That's because Big Auto is playing catch-up with Tesla. In short order, Musk has monopolized the electric-vehicle market and now threatens to consolidate that advantage by rapidly building new factories. Tesla's China plant came online in a year, and factories in Germany and Texas could follow a similarly impressive timetable. It's not unthinkable that Tesla could capture almost all the short-term growth in EV sales, and that's why the company's stock price has skyrocketed, minting a market capitalization that has made Tesla the world's most valuable car company, at $350 billion after an epic rally that began in early 2020.

Tesla could be on its own

Elon Musk

A Biden administration, paired with a Democratic majority in Congress, would put the consumer at the center of EV picture and create abundant incentives for legacy automakers to expand their electrification objectives. Tesla might not get as much real help as it has in the past, and there should be a drive among politicians to engender a competitive marketplace — ironically, that means favoring the incumbents, who have the best chance at getting more EVs on the road, given their massive, established manufacturing footprints. 

Undoubtedly, there could also be pressure to favor startups over the GMs of the world. But if you take global warming seriously, you would need half a dozen Rivians to thrive, starting effectively from zero. It makes more sense to encourage Ford and Volkswagen and Toyota to renounce petrol and embrace electrons. 

Walking into the voting booth, then, Big Auto finds itself in a tough spot. A Trump win could mean more business-as-usual. But a Biden win could accelerate a historical transformation that pretty much all the carmakers recognize is underway and that they're now risking billions on.

And what might remove their reservations about a Democrat in the White House? Simple. Just look at GM, which returned to the public markets with a 2010 IPO — the same year that Tesla staged its IPO. Since then, GM stock has declined by 18%.

And Tesla's is up over 8,200%. 

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Tech execs are donating millions to make MDMA a legal treatment for PTSD, continuing Silicon Valley's longtime love-affair with psychedelics

August 22, 2020, 5:28 am
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bob parsons GoDaddy

  • A group of Silicon Valley and Wall Street executives have donated $30 million towards an initiative to research the therapeutic applications of MDMA, a psychedelic drug as an ingredient in ecstasy. 
  • The research aims to seek approval from the FDA for the use of MDMA to treat PSTD. 
  • If successful, it would be the first ever psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to earn FDA approval.
  • Psychedelic research has long been tied to interest from Silicon Valley's elite. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A veritable who's who of Silicon Valley and Wall Street have donated $30 million to fund research exploring the therapeutic use of the psychedelic drug MDMA, according to a report released on Thursday. 

If successful, the research, which focuses on treating post-traumatic stress disorder, will make MDMA the first psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to earn FDA approval.

In recent years, psychedelic substances, including MDMA, LSD, and the psilocybin found in magic mushrooms have received greater attention for their therapeutic potential. Since 2010, studies have examined psychedelics as a potential treatment for depression, anxiety, addiction, and more.  Some have called the wave of research a "medical renaissance."

The resurgence of psychedelics can be tied to enthusiasm from many tech executives. 

In his book, "How to Change Your Mind," author Michael Pollan describes how big names of San Francisco were drawn to Esalen, a retreat center and New-Age mecca located in Big Sur, California, where they discussed their enthusiasm about potential uses for psychedelics.

Steve Jobs is said to have partaken in psychedelics and have advised that Bill Gates do the same. Silicon Valley's stressed-out young professionals made headlines for embracing "micro-dosing," a practice of taking small amounts of LSD during the workday with the goal of boosting their creativity.

Donors for this MDMA/PTSD study are no exception to this trend.

Bob Parsons, founder of the web-hosting company GoDaddy, gave $2 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. Genevieve Jurvetson and her husband Steven, who co-founded the automation startup Fetcher, donated $2.6 million. Joby Pritzker, the Silicon Valley investor whose private equity company has holdings in Tesla, Uber, and SpaceX, donated over $1 million and is on the board of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). 

Multiple donors said that their interest in funding psychedelic research comes from hope that the drug could be an effective mental health treatment for veterans.

Parsons, who served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam war, said that he personally suffers from PTSD, and many other donors have ties to the military. 

"Psychedelic research has been thought of as 'fringe' for a long time. But there's nothing 'fringe' about PTSD," said Parsons, according to a MAPS press release. "There are millions of people with PTSD in the U.S. alone, and that includes veterans like me, first-responders like those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse. All of them deserve better, significantly more effective treatment options than we give them today. That's what this research is about."

The drug currently undergoing phase 3 clinical trials for treating PTSD, and interim analyses suggest that the drug is on track to be submitted to the FDA for approval as soon as 2022, with the possibility of a decision as soon as 2023.  

SEE ALSO: Founders explain how microdosing on psychedelics has helped them spur new business ideas

READ MORE: Meet the top 9 startups raising millions to use psychedelics to treat depression, anxiety, and more

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Uber and Lyft have poured millions of dollars into a November ballot measure to keep California drivers paid as independent contractors without benefits (UBER, LYFT)

August 22, 2020, 5:47 am
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uber dara san francisco home protest prop 22

  • Proposition 22 is a November ballot measure that aims to exempt ride-sharing and food-delivery firms from AB5, a California gig worker law that forces Uber and Lyft to classify their drivers as employees.
  • Prop 22 was created and funded by Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Postmates, and Instacart as a way to skirt AB5. Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash have given $30 million to support the measure.
  • If Californians vote the measure into effect in November, Uber and Lyft will get exactly what they want and will be able to continue saving costs by paying drivers as independent contractors.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A California court on Thursday granted Uber and Lyft 30 more days to iron out how the companies will comply with a California gig worker law that's already been in effect for months.

If they weren't given the extra time, the companies were threatening to shut down their business throughout California. And if the companies had shut down, riders would have been cut off from the convenience of booking rides on the apps — which likely would have incentivized Californians to back Proposition 22, a measure that will appear on the ballot in the November election.

Prop 22 strives to exempt ride-sharing and food-delivery companies from the Assembly Bill 5 gig worker law that was passed in September 2019, meaning Uber and Lyft could continue classifying— and paying — drivers as contractors, not employees, without benefits. Uber and Lyft have built their business models around doing so, reserving full-time employee status for corporate roles to keep costs low. Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Postmates, and Instacart have poured a total of $110 million into support for the measure, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Why some either support or oppose Prop 22

Uber and Lyft say the measure would allow drivers to keep working whenever they want to, which is why some drivers also reportedly support Prop 22. The companies also want to keep costs low — upgrading drivers to employee status could add up to 30% in labor costs for them, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has said the company and other gig-based firms should form a so-called "benefits fund" to cover expenses, like healthcare fees, and to maintain work flexibility for drivers.

"Our current employment system is outdated and unfair," Khosrowshahi wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed. "It forces every worker to choose between being an employee with more benefits but less flexibility, or an independent contractor with more flexibility but almost no safety net."

President Trump's campaign has expressed support for the companies and for Prop 22, calling AB5 out as an "all-out assault on workers" that could lead to job losses, according to the Washington Post.

However, drivers would still technically not be considered rightful employees under state law with Prop 22, which is one of the factors driving critics to oppose the measure.

Prop 22 won't be voted on until November, but the stay issued Thursday mandates the companies to comply with AB5 within 30. That leaves the question of what the companies will do in the time after the stay runs out, but before they get an answer on Prop 22. 

Drivers and labor advocates have long argued that Uber and Lyft's businesses are harmful to workers because they pay them lower wages and provide fewer benefits, like unemployment and health insurance.

"Our state and workers shouldn't have to foot the bill when big businesses try to skip out on their responsibilities," Xavier Becerra, the attorney general behind a May lawsuit against the firms, said according to Cal Matters. "We're going to keep working to make sure Uber and Lyft play by the rules."

SEE ALSO: A Stanford economics professor who was once an Uber driver says Uber and Lyft are not 'exploiting' drivers, so California's new AB5 law creates more problems than it solves

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Apple defended its App Store policies in front of Congress. A lawsuit from Epic Games is now unraveling its claims in front of our eyes. (AAPL)

August 22, 2020, 6:00 am
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FILE PHOTO: Apple's CEO Tim Cook speaks with Singapore Paralympian Theresa Goh (unseen) at the OCBC Aquatic Centre, Singapore Sports Hub December 12, 2019. REUTERS/Edgar Su

  • Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared before Congress last month to address concerns about the company's App Store policies.
  • Cook pointed out that most developers pay nothing to Apple to have their apps included in the App Store, and the company also backed a study showing that its commission rates are standard for the industry.
  • But Epic Games, the developer behind the hugely popular game "Fortnite," recently spoke out against Apple and filed a lawsuit against the company for removing the game from the App Store.
  • News publishers are also asking Apple how they can negotiate better terms similar to the ones that apply to Amazon.
  • Taken together, the moves suggest that Apple's efforts to subdue antitrust-related concerns about the App Store aren't working. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Less than a month ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared before Congress in a blockbuster antitrust hearing to address concerns that the company's App Store policies were harming competition.

In his opening statement, Cook pointed out that the vast majority of developers pay nothing to Apple, drawing comparisons to the old days when software makers would have to pay for shelf space at brick-and-mortar stores. Ahead of the hearing, Apple even commissioned a study showing that the 30% cut Apple takes from App Store purchases was not dissimilar to the rates charged by other digital marketplaces.

But developers have long criticized these policies, arguing that the cut Apple takes makes it difficult to price their offerings competitively alongside Apple's own products, like Apple Music or Apple Arcade. That tension culminated into somewhat of a powder-keg moment in recent weeks when "Fortnite" maker Epic Games sued Apple after the tech giant removed the game for bypassing its payments policies.

While Epic is not the first company to voice these concerns or mount a legal campaign, it's certainly one of the most high-profile, and its calculated play has galvanized other app makers, including news publishers, to come out against the so-called App Store Tax.

The whole debacle suggests Apple's efforts to downplay accusations that the company isn't providing a level playing field for developers aren't working. Rather, they may be further fueling developers' concerns— and poking holes in Apple's own antitrust defense in the process.

Even before the iPhone maker yanked "Fortnite" from its App Store earlier this month, Epic began taking shots at the company. In an email dated June 30, a month before the antitrust hearing, Epic urged the tech giant to change its payments policy. After Apple declined to negotiate, the game developer sent another email on August 13 opposing the policy outright. 

"I'm writing to tell you that Epic will no longer adhere to Apple's payment processing restrictions," CEO Tim Sweeney said in that email, which was revealed on Friday in court documents. "We choose to follow this path in the firm belief that history and law are on our side."

That day, Apple and Google removed "Fortnite" from their app stores after Epic launched a way to purchase in-game currency directly — skirting Apple's and Google's payment systems to avoid the 30% cut. 

Epic then filed a lawsuit against Apple, released a video mocking Apple's iconic "1984" ad that cast the company in a bad light, and is even planning to hold an anti-Apple event called #FreeFortnite.

It all appeared to be a deliberate attempt by Epic to illustrate its point that Apple's policies are anticompetitive, and Apple took the bait, as my colleague Troy Wolverton wrote.   

In its statement on the matter, Apple said it removed "Fortnite" from the App Store because Epic Games violated guidelines that apply to every developer.

"Epic agreed to the App Store terms and guidelines freely and we're glad they've built such a successful business on the App Store," the company said. "The fact that their business interests now lead them to push for a special arrangement does not change the fact that these guidelines create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users."

Apple's clash with Epic came after the tech giant explained why Microsoft's cloud gaming service won't be allowed in the App Store when it launches in September, citing App Store rules that would require Apple to approve each game included in the service. 

The effect of these two giant showdowns has inspired others to confront Apple. News publishers are now pressuring Apple for a better deal that would allow them to keep a bigger cut of digital subscriptions sold through the App Store.

A trade group that counts news outlets such as Business Insider, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and The Washington Post among its members wrote a letter to Apple asking about the conditions Amazon satisfied in order to land a better deal, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. That comes after The New York Times pulled out of Apple News in June because the relationship gave the Times "little control over its business."

Cook mentioned such conditions during the July antitrust hearing but did not specify what they were. 

Apple has a strong incentive to ensure that all developers abide by its rules and use its in-app payments system. The company's services business, which includes revenue from App Store transactions, is now its second-largest money-maker behind the iPhone when it comes to quarterly revenue.

Apple relies on businesses like its services division to juice its revenue during periods when iPhone sales are slow. Apple even held an entire event last year — a ritual usually reserved for tentpole hardware launches — to introduce new digital offerings like Apple TV Plus, the Apple Card, and Apple Arcade.  

It also prides itself on a rigorous app approval process and the high bar it sets for developers looking to publish their apps on its platform — and that's a good thing. But if Apple's policies are driving away or excluding products from major players like Epic, Microsoft, or The New York Times, it starts to raise the question: Are Apple's decisions coming at the detriment of the consumer, and ultimately its own services?

SEE ALSO: 'We've all been neutered by what Apple did:' App makers are rallying against Apple's claims that it creates a level playing field for everyone

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Netflix is testing a 'Shuffle Play' button to help indecisive viewers just pick a movie already

August 22, 2020, 6:12 am
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Netflix

  • Netflix's newest feature is meant to help indecisive users pick a movie.
  • The new shuffle button will appear in three places when using the app, so users won't miss it.
  • Netflix is persistently trying new ways to get users to watch new titles. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Netflix is trying out a new feature meant to help the indecisive viewer: a shuffle button.

The button will appear in three places, once under each profile on the home screen, again on the menu while a user is browsing within their respective profile, and finally on the TV menu screen. The feature has been rolling out worldwide since July.

When users hit the shuffle button, they'll be shown movies or TV shows similar to something you've already watched, a movie or TV show you're already watching, or something saved to Netflix's My List.

"The purpose of the test is to make it easier for members to find something to watch," a Netflix spokesperson told Variety. 

It's not uncommon for Netflix to change its interface in order to get customers to watch new titles. 

Trailer autoplay when a user is browsing and screensavers promoting titles when the app is left idle are some examples of advertising techniques from the streaming giant. 

Netflix has tested similar features in the past, with a shuffle option for popular shows that don't necessarily need to be watched in chronological order. It also tested showing a random episode option for users once they have started a series on their own.

2020 has been a landmark year for the streaming company, as stay-at-home orders lead to a record 15.8 million new subscribers in its first quarter, surpassing estimates of seven million. Almost 50% of customers already using the streaming service are now watching one to three hours more.

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Tech salaries in Texas revealed: How much IBM, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, SAP, and Dell pay developers, engineers, consultants, and others (IBM, ORCL, DELL, MSFT, GOOG, SAP, CSCO)

August 22, 2020, 6:25 am
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  • Texas has long been a major tech hub, home to giants like Dell and known for a dynamic startup ecosystem that rivals Silicon Valley.
  • Major technology companies, including Silicon Valley behemoths like Google, Cisco, IBM, SAP, Microsoft and Oracle have expanded their operations in Texas, including in cities like Austin. 
  • For example, Google hired a customer sales engineer with a salary of $114,000 to $214,000, while Oracle hired a senior developer with a salary of $129,000 to $225,000.
  • Here's a survey of what Oracle, IBM, Dell, SAP, Cisco, Google, and Microsoft pay new hires in Texas, based on disclosure data for permanent and temporary workers filed with the US Office of Foreign Labor Certification in 2019.
  • Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Texas has long been seen as a major tech hub. It's the established home to tech giants like Dell, and has more recently earned a reputation for having a vibrant startup ecosystem that's coming to rival Silicon Valley.

In fact, major technology companies, including Silicon Valley behemoths like Google, Cisco and Oracle have expanded their operations in Texas, particularly in and around cities like Austin and Dallas.

The Texas tech industry has "evolved exponentially over the past five to six years just based on the companies we have planting roots here and the influx of tech companies coming in,"  Ashley Jennings, managing director of the Texas Innovation Center at the University of Texas at Austin, told Business Insider.

Business Insider analyzed the US Office of Foreign Labor Certification's 2019 disclosure data for permanent and temporary foreign workers to find out what six  major players in enterprise tech — Oracle, IBM, SAP, Cisco, Dell, Microsoft and Google — pay tech talent in key roles including engineers, developers and data scientists in Texas.

Companies are required to disclose information, such as salary ranges, when they hire foreign workers under the H1-B visa program, giving insight into what these major companies are willing to shell out for talent.

Here's how much these top enterprise technology companies paid employees hired in Texas in 2020:

SEE ALSO: How much product managers are paid at enterprise giants like Oracle, Cisco, VMware, SAP, ServiceNow and Workday — and how the job is evolving

SEE ALSO: Tech sales and marketing salaries revealed: How much enterprise giants IBM, Oracle, Dell, Cisco, and VMware pay sales reps, managers, and consultants

SEE ALSO: Enterprise tech salaries revealed: How much Oracle, IBM, SAP, Cisco, Dell, VMware, ServiceNow and Workday pay engineers, developers, data scientists and others

Google hired a customer sales engineer with a salary of $114,000 to $214,000.

Google is the third-most dominant player in cloud computing, after Amazon and Microsoft.  The Silicon Valley giant is building a $600 million massive data center in Midlothian, about 25 miles southwest of Dallas.

Google had 6,497 visa applications approved this year, including 82 in Texas. Here are some of Google's recent hires in Texas and how much they're paid:

Customer sales engineer: $114,000 to $214,000

Sales engineer: $167,000

Application engineer: $142,000

Business systems analyst: $130,000

Application engineer: $130,000

Software engineer: $110,000

Google Cloud, specialist sales engineer: $106,000

Google Cloud, inside sales engineer: $105,000

Network implementation engineer: $88,000

Google Cloud technical resident: $78,000

 



Microsoft hired a senior software development engineer with a salary of $159,000.

Microsoft is the second-most dominant player in the cloud, after Amazon Web Services. The tech giant has seven locations in Texas, including in Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas.

Microsoft had 4,134 approved visa applications in 2020, including 103 in Texas. Here are some of Microsoft's recent hires in Texas and how much they're paid:

Premier field engineer: $168,000

Senior software development engineer: $159,000

Product manager: $158,000

Cloud solution architect: $155,000

Senior data and applied scientist: $148,000

Support engineering manager: $148,000

Software engineer: $147,000

Program manager: $146,000

Escalation engineer: $136,000

Support engineer: $86,000

 



Oracle hired a senior developer with a salary of $129,000 to $225,000.

Oracle, a dominant vendor in enterprise software, is pushing to become a bigger player in the cloud, where it is up against stronger rivals led by Amazon, Microsoft and Google. The Silicon Valley giant two years ago opened a massive campus in Austin as part of a major campaign to lure new talent, particularly college grads.

Oracle  had 452 approved visa applications this year, including 45 in Texas. Here are some of Oracle's recent hires in Texas and how much they're paid:

Software developer: $129,000 to $225,000

Master principal sales consultant: $136,000 to $199,000

Systems analyst: $113,000 to $179,000

User experience developer: $124,000 to $179,000

Applications developer: $107,000 to $150,000

Senior sales consultant: $117,000 to $157,000

Financial analyst: $115,000 to $157,000

Credit and collections senior manager: $97,000 to $142,000

Software development consultant: $102,000 to $141,000

Staff sales consultant: $88,000 to $125,000

 



IBM hired a technical architect with a salary of $113,000 to $225,000.

IBM is a traditional tech powerhouse which has long been a major player in the enterprise market. Big Blue has long had a strong presence in Texas where it runs a major research facility in Austin and client services centers in Houston, Iriving and Dallas.

IBM had 1,876 approved visa applications this year, including 290 in Texas. Here are some of IBM's recent hires in Texas and how much they're paid:

Chief technology officer, digital platforms: $232,000

Technical architect: $113,000 to $225,000

Senior architect: $132,000 to $217,000

Software developer: $128,000 to $196,000

Advisory engineer: $132,000 to $186,000

Advisory architect: $113,000 to $166,000

Project manager: $94,000 to $140,000

Application architect: $96,000 to $138,000

Data engineer: $97,000 to $132,000

Application programmer: $78,000

 



Dell hired a director for IT architecture with a salary of $180,000.

Dell, which is based in Round Rock, just outside Austin, is a major tech and corporate institution in Texas. Ashley Jennings, managing director of the Texas Innovation Center at the University of Texas at Austin, calls company the "tech godfather of the city of Austin" which has "created more jobs" than any other tech company in the region.

Dell had 472 approved visa applications this year, including 398 in Texas. Here are some of Dell's recent hires in Texas and how much they're paid:

Senior director, material planning: $236,000

Senior director, quality engineering: $200,000

Director, IT architecture: $180,000

Software, senior principal engineer: $178,000

Technical staff, software engineer: $171,000

Firmware senior principal engineer: $160,000

Senior consultant, sales, planning and strategy: $159,000

Principal engineer, product security engineering: $153,000

Senior consultant, IT architecture: $151,000

Electrical senior engineer: $130,000

 



SAP hired a services architecture expert with a salary of $130,000 to $220,000.

SAP is one of the biggest enterprise software vendors in the world. But like archrival Oracle, the German tech behemoth is pushing for a stronger position in the cloud. SAP has maintained a presence in Texas, including in Houston, Allen and Plano, where one of the tech giant's six US labs is located.

SAP had 393 approved visa applications, including 23 in Texas. Here are some of SAP's recent hires in Texas and how much they're paid:

Services architecture expert: $130,000 to $220,000

Expert support engineer: $200,000

Business senior manager, consulting: $196,000

Business processes, senior consultant: $175,000

Demo solutions architect: $153,000

Senior support engineer: $131,000

Senior developer: $131,000

Technical consultant: $126,000

Development senior consultant: $123,000

Support engineer: $82,000

 



Cisco hired a systems architect with a salary of $161,000 to $216,000.

Cisco dominates the market for networking systems. The Silicon Valley company is also adapting to new trends in enterprise tech, including the rapid growth of the cloud and of networking that relies more heavily on software, rather than hardware. Cisco also has a strong presence in Texas,  including in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Richardson.

Cisco had 695 approved visa applications, including 71 in Texas. Here are some of Cisco's recent hires in Texas and how much they're paid: 

Systems architect: $161,000 to  $216,000

Technical leader: $133,000 to $193,000

Customer delivery architect: $126,000 to $193,000

User experience designer: $102,000 to $185,000

Technical marketing engineer: $118,000 to $169,000

Software architect: $116,000 to $169,000

Technical consulting engineer: $113,000 to $168,000

Software engineer: $112,000 to $155,000

Software quality assurance engineer: $105,000 to $155,000

Network engineer: $80,000

 



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