Tesla Launches Its Austin Robo-Taxi Today. Here's What to Know. — Barrons.com

Dow Jones Newswires

Al Root

It's finally here. Tesla launches its highly anticipated robo-taxi service in Austin, Texas, on Sunday.

It's a big deal. Trillions of dollars are at stake, along with Tesla's reputation as a leader in artificial-intelligence technology.

In one respect, Tesla has been trying to convince bearish investors for years that it is more than a car company, for good reason. The car business is characterized by low profit margins, low valuation multiples, brutal competition, and cyclicality.

Toyota Motor is the world's most valuable conventional auto maker. It has more than three times the sales of Tesla, and five times the operating profit. Toyota stock also trades for about 9 times estimated earnings, which is relatively robust for a car maker, yet the company is worth less than one-third of Tesla.

Tesla stock trades for almost 170 times estimated 2025 earnings, and its market value is about $1 trillion. All that really means one thing: Investors expect AI to turn into a huge earnings stream down the road.

"We view this autonomous [driving] chapter as one of the most important for [CEO Elon] Musk and Tesla in its history as a company," wrote Wedbush analyst Dan Ives on Friday. "The AI future at Tesla is worth $1 trillion to the valuation alone over the next few years."

Ives is a Tesla bull, rating shares at Buy with a price target at a Street-high of $500. Guggenheim analyst Ronald Jewsikow, on the other hand, rates Tesla stock at Sell with a $175 price target. Still, Jewsikow knows that robo-taxis can be huge.

"While we see risks, the opportunity for robo-taxis is a massive multi-trillion dollar total addressable market," wrote Jewsikow in a June report. The risks include regulatory delays, the pace of needed technological improvements, and the capital required to build robo-taxi fleets, among others. "Even with our more-balanced view....we still see a nearly $2 trillion enterprise value for robo-taxis in 2040," adding that's worth almost $100 a share, discounted back to today. Jewsikow doesn't add that into Tesla's base valuation, however, because it's a 2040 number and, of course, there are those risks.

On the one hand, Ives's $1 trillion or even Jewsikow's $2 trillion valuation estimates could be low for a business successfully monetizing AI. Today, the market gladly pays $2 trillion to $3 trillion for AI leaders Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon.com, and Microsoft.

On the other hand, there is the car business to consider. Tesla's vehicle sales are declining, the product lineup needs new models, the industry is losing key policy support in the U.S., and Elon Musk's politics have alienated some buyers in the U.S. and Europe. In addition, recent trade tensions have deterred Chinese car buyers from purchasing some American products.

That tension between Tesla's cars and AI business won't be resolved on Sunday. Still, a successful robo-taxi launch will buoy the bulls.

As for what qualifies as a success, having no accidents goes without saying. The launch will be small, perhaps a couple of dozen vehicles, with customers invited by Tesla to use the service. The cars will operate in a limited, geofenced area, probably only in good weather, with remote Tesla employees able to assist if the cars hit a snag. Tesla will also have " Safety Monitors" in the front driver seat as an extra layer of protection.

After Sunday, investors' minds will turn to questions about scaling the service and technology.

Tesla's chief robo-taxi competitor in the U.S. is Alphabet's Waymo, which completes more than 250,000 paid rides per week in several cities with a fleet of some 1,500 robo-taxis. A Waymo robo-taxi uses more expensive sensors, including lidar, essentially laser-based radar, that Tesla doesn't use. Musk believes that ever-improving cameras and AI are sufficient to enable self-driving cars to operate safely.

Musk's approach, while currently controversial, offers a scaling advantage. Tesla can make hundreds of thousands of Model Y vehicles annually, says Zacks stock strategist Andrew Rocco. Those can all be robo-taxis. "Tesla can manufacture the same amount of robo-taxis in five hours that Waymo can do in about a year...as far as scalability [between Tesla and Waymo], it's not going to be close."

What's more, Tesla plans to offer an Airbnb-type service where existing Tesla owners rent out their Teslas in a robo-taxi network while they aren't using them. One of the benefits of that is Tesla doesn't have to spend billions to build a fleet of taxis. Its customers are ready to provide any needed capacity.

The scale advantage is massive if Tesla's technology works. Hundreds of thousands of Tesla drivers have an idea of how Tesla is doing. Tesla offers its Full Self-Driving software for $99 per month. (The author of this article subscribes and uses FSD in a Model Y.)

FSD is impressive, doing most of the driving most of the time. Still, it requires supervision, and Tesla owners can use it anywhere in almost any driving conditions. That makes it hard to compare with the fully autonomous service about to be launched.

As for the stock, Tesla has a lot of support around $300, says Fairlead Strategies founder and market technician Katie Stockton. If things go badly, Tesla stock has support at about $224. If things go well, shares have some resistance from $370 to $380.

Stockton isn't making a fundamental call on Tesla stock. She's looking at stock charts and market history to understand changes in investor sentiment, and where the stock can go over the short and medium term.

Whatever happens on Sunday, investors are likely in for a wild week of trading following the launch.

Coming into Monday trading, Tesla stock is down roughly 20% year to date. But shares are up about 35% since the company's Oct. 10, 2024, robo-taxi announcement, compared with a 3% gain in the S&P 500.

Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com

This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

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Dj The Emirati Oil Boss Banking Billions On Usa Energy

Reuters

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Meet the nine private humanoid robot firms shaping the future

Investing.com

The humanoid robot arms race is on, and it’s not just Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) making noise with its Optimus humanoid—the real action is happening among a new generation of private players, each betting big on a future where humanoids are everywhere from factory floors to your living room, according to UBS analysts.

"Understanding what these private companies are working on and tracking their progress can help inform investors about the future/feasibility of the humanoid robot opportunity and use cases such as more plant automation,” UBS analysts said in a recent note, pointing to a wave of start-ups already landing deals with auto giants like BMW (ETR:BMWG) and Mercedes.

Figure AI: The unicorn out front

Figure AI, founded in 2022, is going all-in on autonomous humanoids for manufacturing, logistics, and retail. Figure’s BotQ facility can crank out up to 12,000 robots a year, and the company is already using its own robots to build more robots. After a $1.5 billion Series C in May 2025, Figure’s valuation soared to $39.5 billion, with its first commercial deal inked with BMW and a second, undisclosed “major US company” already signed. Between these two customers, Figure believes there’s a path to 100,000 robots over the next four years.

Agility robotics: real-world robots, real deployments

Agility Robotics, meanwhile, is already deploying its Digit robots in logistics and manufacturing, targeting the more than one million unfilled material handling jobs in the U.S. With partnerships ranging from GXO Logistics Inc (NYSE:GXO) and Schaeffler to Tompkins (NYSE:TMP) Solutions, Agility is scaling up quickly, pushing robots-as-a-service deals and using its Agility Arc platform to control robots in tandem with other equipment. The company recently upgraded Digit’s battery life and safety features, and a minority investment from Schaeffler signals growing industry confidence.

Collaborative Robotics: humans + robots, side by side

Collaborative Robotics, or Cobot, is taking a different approach, focusing on AI-driven collaborative robots that work shoulder-to-shoulder with people in shared workspaces such as warehouses, hospitals, and factories. Since their 2024 debut, Cobot’s Proxie robots have logged over 5,000 operational hours and moved 16,000 carts in customer facilities. The company is developing cobots that integrate large language models, voice recognition, and speech synthesis to enable dynamic, human-like interaction on the job

Apptronik: From nasa to mercedes

Apptronik, with roots in NASA, has built Apollo, a robot designed for heavy lifting in manufacturing, logistics, and even healthcare. Commercial deployments began with Mercedes-Benz (OTC:MBGAF) in 2024, and new partnerships with Jabil and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) DeepMind are helping scale both production and AI capabilities. Apollo is built to perform physically demanding tasks in industrial spaces, working right alongside humans

1x Technologies: home humanoids at scale

1X Technologies is targeting the home, planning large-scale deployment of its Neo humanoid in the U.S. in 2025. The company’s acquisition of Kind Humanoid is accelerating its tech development, and 1X is backed by EQT (ST:EQTAB) Ventures. Their focus is on creating an abundant supply of labor via safe, intelligent humanoids, scaling from research and development to full-scale manufacturing

Mentee robotics, skild ai, foundation robotics labs, plus one robotics: the next wave

The next wave of contenders is equally ambitious. Mentee Robotics is building robots that can be “mentored” in real time by humans, aiming for personalized, adaptive bots.

Skild AI is all about general-purpose robotic intelligence, boasting a $4.7 billion valuation and backing from Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and SoftBank (TYO:9984), with its sights set on construction, manufacturing, and security robots.

Foundation Robotics Labs is shipping robots for manufacturing, logistics, domestic, and defense use, with a goal of delivering over 10,000 units in 2026. Plus One Robotics, meanwhile, is the parcel-handling specialist, with over one billion picks and AI-powered warehouse automation already saving customers millions in labor costs.

While Tesla may be the face of the humanoid-enabled robot future, UBS suggest the real battleground is among these private upstarts—each racing toward a multi-billion-dollar reality, one robot at a time.

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Tesla plans $8 billion U.S. investment this fiscal year

Investing.com

Tesla

+2.70%

Investing.com -- Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) announced plans to invest approximately $8 billion in United States infrastructure and manufacturing during the current fiscal year, according to a post on X on late Friday.

The electric vehicle manufacturer revealed it has already invested around $44 billion in capital expenditures in the US since the company’s founding.

Tesla noted that in the previous fiscal year alone, it made approximately $10 billion in capital expenditures.

"Tesla has been focused on investing in manufacturing and infrastructure in the US since our inception and till the beginning of the year, we had invested ~$44B of capital expenditures. Just in the last fiscal year alone, we did ~$10B of capital expenditure and plan to invest another ~$8B this fiscal year," the company stated in its social media post.

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Who Will Use Tesla's Robo-Taxi? There Are 2 Big Challenges. — Barrons.com

Dow Jones Newswires

Al Root

Robo-taxis represent an early test case of two critical points for Tesla.

Will American consumers trust robots? And will damage to the brand done by CEO Elon Musk's politics jump from Tesla cars to Tesla taxis?

Investors will get early indications on both points on Sunday, when the electric-vehicle company is set to launch its robo-taxi service in Austin, Texas on Sunday. Invitations to a select group of customers have been sent out, allowing people to hail a handful of cars operating in a relatively small area.

Human safety monitors will be sitting in the front passenger seat, and Tesla will have so-called teleoperators standing by to step in remotely if needed. Alphabet's Waymo, the dominant robo-taxi service so far, uses teleoperators as well.

The modest launch might be a disappointment, but it is still a very big deal. It's a chance for Musk to finally deliver self-driving cars, after promising them repeatedly for the better part of a decade, wrote Guggenheim analyst Ronald Jewsikow in a recent report.

"The June robo-taxi launch represents a seminal achievement after [years] of self-driving promises," Jewsikow wrote. That is particularly positive in that it comes from an analyst who rates Tesla stock at Sell.

Expanding the service to bring in significant revenue, helping to justify years of investment, is a much bigger deal for Tesla and Tesla investors. A challenge to overcome there will be any potential pushback from consumers turned off by Musk's support for President Donald Trump and rough-and-ready efforts to slash the size of the federal government.

Tesla car sales fell 13% year over year in the first quarter, partly because left-leaning shoppers, the group most likely to buy electric vehicles, steered clear of the brand. Wall Street expects a 10% decline in the second quarter, according to FactSet.

While Tesla management acknowledged challenges for the brand on their first-quarter earnings conference call, isn't clear whether that will affect the robo-taxi launch. Like so much with Tesla, opinions vary widely.

"One hundred percent," said GLJ analyst Gordon Johnson, when asked if Tesla's brand problems will extend to robo-taxis. He said he doesn't believe the technology is ready, citing the fact that Tesla has chosen to use in-car safety monitors.

"The backlash from consumers will likely be severe given it seems Tesla is endangering the driving public in Austin with this launch," Johnson said. A longtime Tesla bear, he rates the shares at Sell.

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Andres Sheppard, who rates the shares at Buy, doesn't see any major backlash coming. "We don't think so," said Sheppard. "There should be some getting used to the vehicles and the technology."

Aside from branding, the fact that the technology is unfamiliar could represent a barrier to adoption. Not everyone will feel comfortable without a driver, or even a safety monitor, in the car.

Still, that shouldn't be a problem early on for any self-driving technology. "The people I talk to, colleagues and friends, are excited to [try] it," says Zacks stock strategist Andrew Rocco, adding that early on, " Airbnb sounded like a crazy idea." Rocco runs Zacks' Technology Innovators Portfolio, which holds Tesla stock.

Alphabet's Waymo hasn't had trouble filling its self-driving cabs. It completes more than 250,000 paid cab rides each week with a fleet of some 1,500 taxis.

It is tough to argue that Waymos aren't better than regular drivers. It reports 88% fewer crashes with serious injuries, and 79% fewer accidents in which air bags are deployed.

So far, self-driving cabs are doing just fine. "Consumers love robo-taxis," Jewsikow said. Today, Waymo has about 15% of the ride-hailing market in San Francisco, up about 14 percentage points since the start of 2024.

Whatever happens, investors should brace for volatility. For months to come, every problem, be it an act of vandalism or a car unable to complete a trip, and every success, such as service expansion, will be scrutinized by investors and Wall Street.

Tesla investors, however, are used to that. Tesla stock, by some measures, is about three times as volatile as other large tech stocks.

Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com

This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

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Global AI Spotlight: DataGlobal Hub Assembles Hundreds of Industry Leaders for GDAI 2025, The Largest Global Virtual AI & Data Conference

GlobeNewswire

PHOENIX, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DataGlobal Hub, a fast-growing global media platform at the forefront of Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) news and insights, is proud to officially unveil the top speakers for Global Data & AI Virtual Tech Conference (GDAI 2025), a highly anticipated global summit convening the brightest minds in technology, innovation, and data leadership.

GDAI 2025 is scheduled for August 22nd to 24th, 2025, with the theme, “AI, Data, and the Future of Innovation,” bringing together thought leaders, professionals, and trailblazing creators from around the world to spotlight emerging technologies, transformative enterprise strategies, and the societal shifts shaping tomorrow’s workplace.

One Global Conversation: Three Tracks

GDAI 2025 will deliver practical value through three tailored conference tracks that reflect the evolving realities of data, business, and human potential:

AI and Data Innovation: Uncover the latest breakthroughs in tech—from advanced large language models and automation to the exciting frontier of generative AI.
Enterprise Data Strategy & Leadership: Delve into essential topics such as data governance, ROI, ethics, and data monetization, empowering you to lead with confidence in the digital age.
The Future of Work & AI in Society: Engage with thought leaders on the evolving landscape of work, the impact of AI regulation, and the creative shifts driving today's job market.

What to Expect at GDAI 2025

Visionary Keynotes: Hear from AI pioneers, business executives, and future-thinkers on the possibilities ahead
Breakout Panels & Fireside Chats: Candid conversations and debates on real-world challenges and emerging trends
Live Demos & Product Showcases: Get front-row access to the tools, platforms, and AI systems shaping the next decade
Hands-On Masterclasses: Expert-led workshops with real applications and live feedback
Global Networking & VIP Sessions: Curated virtual spaces to connect, collaborate, and grow

Introducing conference speakers

GDAI 2025 is a global platform for possibility.

With over 100 top speakers expected, GDAI 2025 will feature dynamic keynotes, powerful panel discussions, and interactive tools designed to transform your thinking. Some of our speakers include industry leaders from top organizations like OpenAI, MetaAI, Nvidia, CNN, NBC and more

Vijaykumar Jangamashetti: Senior Google Cloud Consulting Architect, Trusted Advisor, Keynote Speaker & Research Scholar. 38k+ LinkedIn Followers
Sheena Yap Chan: Wall Street Journal & Publishers Weekly Bestselling Author, Keynote Speaker, featured on FOX, NBC News, MindValley, Manila Times, delivered speeches for NASA, Live Nation, UKG. 31k+ LinkedIn Followers
Brenton House: 519k+ Youtube Subscribers, Principal Cybersecurity & AI Advisor, IBM WebMethods, Keynote Speaker, LinkedIn TopVoice, 22k+ LinkedIn Followers
Shikhar Kwatra: Youngest Indian Master Inventor, Partner Solutions Architect at OpenAI, 500+ Patents. Former Senior AI/ML Partner Solutions Architect AWS, Former Data & AI Architect IBM, Author, Einstein Visa Green Card Recipient, 27k+ LinkedIn Followers
Chris McGraw: National Director for Permanent Placement Practice, Lorien, Cybersecurity & Cloud Infrastructure Expert, Speaker.
Pamela Paterson: Two Times International Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker, Business Systems Analyst, Project Manager. Pamela has worked with over 100 organizations globally and authored 10 books
Erich Archer: Emmy-Award Winning Producer, Founder, CGA Creative, AI Media Strategist & Storytelling Consultant. 15k+ LinkedIn Followers.
Khuyen Tran: Founder of CodeCut, Senior Developer Advocate at Nixtla, Ex-Senior Data Engineer at Accenture, Ex Technical Writer at NVIDIA. 109K+ LinkedIn Followers
Joe Perez: Amazon Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker, Executive Board Member, Digital Directors Network. 19K+ LinkedIn Followers
Queen Smith: Vice President & Enterprise Coach, Citibank, Founder & CEO AgileCentric, Former Senior Consultant, Deloitte
Jarrett Albritton: VP of Strategy at WriteSea, Ex Senior Enterprise Account Executive at IBM, Featured on Nasdaq, Conference Speaker, Soken at DIVERSITECH, AfroTech. 16K+ LinkedIn Followers
Sneha Singla: Director of Software Engineering at Salesforce. 4K+ LinkedIn Followers
Vishal Ganagarapu: Executive Director, Finance Data & Analytics at Mizhuo Financial Group, Fmr VP, Finance Data Architecture & Transformation at Goldman Sachs, Fmr Pricing Transformation Consultant at Dell Technologies
Mary Grygleski: Director of Emerging Technologies at Callibrity, TEDx Speaker, President of Chicago Java Users Group, Chicago Chapter Organizer- Gen AI Collective, Chicago Chapter Co-Lead-AICamp, Fmr Senior Developer Advocate at DataStax
Einat Orr: CEO & Co-Founder of LakeFS, Forbes Business Council Member. 19K+ LinkedIn Followers
Ritesh Modi: Principal AI Engineer at Microsoft, Best-Selling Author of 10 books, Public Speaker. 12K+ LinkedIn Followers
Arthur Kaza: Head of Tech Academy & Data Science at AKIENI, Google Developer Expert-AI, AI Research Scientist at Woxsen University 21K+ LinkedIn Followers
Isaac Agya Koomson: Founder & CEO of KIA-START UP CONSULT
Shankar Narayanan SGS: Principal Architect at Microsoft, Author, Top 10% of programmers on HackerEarth, ONCON ICON TOP 10 DATA & ANALYTICS PROFESSIONAL 2024, Snowflake Data Superhero, 8K+ LinkedIn Followers
Kamal Gupta: CNN's Ex-Senior Staff Software Engineer, Software Development Engineer at Amazon.
Jayita Bhattacharyya: Data Scientist at Deloitte, Ex-Application Developer at IBM, Software Engineer, Hackathon Wizard, Spoken at NVIDIA AI Inference Day by Collabnix, Codebasics AI & Data Fest 2025, FOSS United Hyderabad 2025, GDG Durgapur Developer Summit 2024. 13K+ LinikedIn Followers
Siddharth Parakh: Director of Engineering at Medable, Ex-Software Development Manager III at Amazon, IEEE Sr Member and member of IEEE Computer Society, Author of 5+ books on Technology by Manning Publication, Judged Multiple Awards such as Globee, Business Intelligence etc...
Enudeme Jonathan: CEO & Founder of Zummit Africa, Co-Founder of Data Rango, Board Member International Law Association of Nigeria (ILA)- Committee on AI and Technology Law. Featured on Business Insider, Yahoo Finance and Arise News.
Vivekanandan Srinivasan: Senior Manager-GenAI Enablement at Verizon, Ex-BI Solutions Architect at Lumel, Top 1 percentile globally in Kaggle Kernels.
Ayoade Adegbite; Specialized Data Analytics Mentor at CareerFouny, Analytics Engineer, Ex-Data Analyst Engineer at WirePick.
Felipe Cabrini: Senior Software Architect & Specialist, Cloud Architect at Pagseguro Pagbank, JAVA Instructor at FIAP, Sao Paulo
Roisin Benett: Chief AI Officer, Founder & CEO MarketingMentors, Perplexity AI Business Fellow. Empowering Small Businesses to Grow Smarter with AI. 11K+ LinkedIn Followers
Etibar Aliyev: Team Lead - AI at Google, AI Expert & Leader Advisor at Packt, Member of Leaders Excellence at Harvard Square, AI Frontier Network, International Association of Algorithmic Auditors (IAAA), AI Consultant at AI IXX, AI Advisor at AlphaSense. 12K+ LinkedIn Followers.
Fatima-Bint Ibrahim: Bayobab Core Network Engineer, Organizer of Ghana Data Science Summit(IndabaX Ghana), Ex-Huawei Associate Core Network Engineer, Python Ghana Co-Lead User Groups, AI & ML Researcher.
Partha Pritam Deka: Senior Staff Engineer & Data Science Leader at Intel, Fmr Staff Data Scientist at General Electrics, Ex-Data Engineer at Cisco, Best-Selling Machine Learning Book Author, NeurIPS/ICML Reviewer, Keynote Speaker, CSCMP Innovation Award - AI Solution.
Mikhail Lvovskii: Founder & Principal Consultant at BonaMente, Chief Transformational Officer at Guidi Consulting, 12K+ LinkedIn Followers
Rahul PrasadFounder of RSTech Softwares, Public Speaker, Strategist.
Ferry Haris: CEO of FEHA & CyberSecurity Advocate.
Pooja RayChaudhuri: Software Engineer at C3 AI, Ex-Software Engineer at TikTok.
Samantha St-Louis(Allegrini): CEO & Technical Trainer at CloudFirst AI, CEO & Founder, AI Strategist at BeBaby, AI Engineer & Cloud Solutions Architect at Smarter Consulting, Public Speaker & Technical Writer
Knut Relbe-Moe: Chief Technology Officer at Dapt AS, Product Manager & Founder of DocsNode, Partner Relationship Manager at Lightning Tools, Microsoft MVP, Public Speaker.
Edward Morgan: "Founder & CTO at Gordian Knot, Ex-Associate Director of Engineering at Chewy, C100 Award Recipient, Recognized by the Harvard Kennedy School of Government."
"Madhuri Koripalli: Software Engineer II at Microsoft, Ex-Senior Software Engineer Specialist at DELL EMC, Ex-Software Engineer at Verizon, Ex-Web Application Developer at TESLA
Alison Cossette: Data Science Strategist, Founder of Partrun Inc, Developer Advocate at Neo4j specializing in Graph Data Science. 6K+ LinkedIn Followers
Aquayemi-Claude Akinsanya: CEO & Founder of Garnetts Clothing Brand & Range, Public Relations Volunteer at United Nations, Inclusion Thematic Lead at The Queen's Commonwealth Trust, Regional & Country Representative of Global Network of Persons with Disabilities, Author, Environment Advocate, Ex-Jury Judge Panel Member of the Telly Awards. 5K+ LinkedIn Followers
Chinazor Vivian Kalu: UK Black Tech Resident Technologist, Senior Programme Manager at Niyo Group, Nominee 2023 50 Most Influential Women in UK Tech Award, Women in Data Science Ambassador at Stanford UniversityWorld's Top 100 Chief Data Officers (2023, 2024), Top 100 Data Influencers (2024), and Top 40 Chief AI/Analytics Officers, Chief Hat at Data Hat AI, Ex-Chief Data Officer at OneFootball. 9K+ LinkedIn Followers
Rishi Nareshbhai Lad:
Kshitij Kumar: Principal Integration Engineer at ModernaTx, Inc, Recipient of Titan Business Technology Award for excellence in integration engineering, and the Globee Award for technological innovation in healthcare,
Barkha Herman: Founder of WiTVoices, South Florida Women in Technology, Ex-Developer Advocate at StarTree, Speaker, Technologist, Podcaster
Bhaskar Goyal: Software Engineer III at Google, Ex-Software Engineer II at Goldman Sachs, Expedia Group, AI & ML Specialist. Recipient of the IEEE Richard E. Merwin Award
Alfred Ojukwu: Senior Virtualization Specialist at Microsoft, Ex-chair of Blacks at Microsoft(BAM) worldwide 9K+ Followers on LinkedIn
Olubayo Adekanmbi: Founder & CEO Data Science Nigeria, CEO & CO-Founder EqualyzAI
Paula García Esteban: Top Voice LinkedIn Data Visualization, Data Visualization & AI Specialist, ML Instructor at LinkedIn Learning, 14K+ LinkedIn Followers
Lianne Potter: Award-Winning Digital and Cyber Anthropologist, Cybersecurity Operations and Technology Leader, Podcast Host, Author, Keynote Speaker. 15K+ LinkedIn Followers
Sharanya Vasudev Prasad: Cybersecurity, Networking and AI Product Manager at Cisco
Tarun Parmar: Principal Software Engineer at Skyworks Solutions, Ex-Senior Data Engineer at Tesla, Ex-Senior Engineer- Data Scientist at Samsung
Matthew Livesey: Principal, Lead Engineering & Analytics DK at ADC Consulting, Ex-Data Solutions Cloud Lead at Danske Bank
Aldan Creo: Technology Research Specialist at Accenture Lab, Grand Prize Winner, HackUPC(Biggest Hackathon in Europe) May 2024, Recipient of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education- July 2024.
Angus Allan: "Senior Product Leader at CreateFuture, Governance Group Member of the Scottish AI Alliance, Keynote Speaker Featured on Forbes, WIRED, ITPro, LeadDev, Digital Leaders' 2024 ""AI Experts of the Year"
Andrew Park: Founder of Edensoft Labs, VP- Software Engineering at G3 Technologies Inc
David Melamed: CTO & Co-Founder of Jit, Ex-Snr Tech Lead, CloudSecurity CTO Office at Cisco
Naveen Reddy Dendi: META's Software Engineering Manager, Ex-Netflix Engineering Leader, Ex-Coinbase Engineering Manager, Ex-Facebook Software Engineer, Ex-Amazon Software Engineer.
Victor Agboli: PhD Researcher at the University of Florida, Public Health Data Scientist, Ex-Research Analyst at Bamboo. 5K+ LinkedIn Followers.
Vaishnavi Gudur: Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft, Ambassador of AI Frontier, Peer Reviewer.
Samuel Iheagwam: Senior Data Developer & DataBase Administrator at Qore Technologies
Er. Ms. Kritika: Gold & Silver Medallist, International Olympiad of Mathematics, Young Engineer Award 2024, Best researcher Award (2024) and the Young Researcher Award 2023, Cybersecurity Researcher, Author
Hridesh Sharma: Software Engineer at Brudite Private Limited, Principal Solution Architect, AWS & Python Specialist
Emmanuel Boniface: Machine Learning Mentor at Aifinite Learning, Machine Learning Researcher at University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Founder & President of Algorithmic Explorers
Simon Müller: Managing Director & CTO at watxx, Co-Founder of triebwerk, Lecturer at IU University of Applied Sciences
Mary Njoki Waweru; AI Trainer, Specialist & Strategist
Taeyang Kim: Machine Learning Engineer, Pattern Inc
Savi Grover: NBC's Software Quality Assurance Engineer, Ex-Ford Senior Software Quality Engineer.
Shari Oswald: Microsoft 365 Solutions Architect & Consultant, LinkedIn Author & Instructor
Kayode Makinde: AI Researcher, Data Scientist
Shahzeb Akhtar: Director of IP Strategy & Technology at UnitedLex

Be Part of the Future; Join the Movement

GDAI 2025 invites organizations, researchers, students, AI practitioners, and data enthusiasts to contribute to this global dialogue by registering for the conference.

Scholarship Award

Jori Glover is one of our outstanding scholarship recipients, she's the nation’s top-ranked track and field hurdler and a D1. Jori is also a celebrated Hackathon champion, blending athletic excellence with emerging tech leadership. She was awarded our prestigious tech scholarships at the University of Southern California (USC), where she plans to pursue a major in Robotics and Gaming starting in 2026 as part of the Class of 2030.

DataGlobal Hub CEO, Jori Glover, and DataGlobal Hub COO

About DataGlobal Hub

DataGlobal Hub is a global media organization dedicated to advancing data literacy and AI awareness through compelling content, thought leadership, and world-class events. Our mission is to empower individuals and organizations to thrive in an AI-driven world by connecting them with the right tools, stories, and communities.

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DataGlobal Hub CEO, Jori Glover, and DataGlobal Hub COO

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Buffett-Plus, In an ETF — Barrons.com

Dow Jones Newswires

By Andrew Bary

An exchange-traded fund keyed to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway equity portfolio has attracted nearly $250 million since its inception in March. The VistaShares Target 15 Berkshire Select Income ETF holds 21 stocks — 20 in Berkshire's portfolio plus 10% of its assets in Berkshire's Class B shares. Plus, there's a twist. "Berkshire doesn't pay a dividend," says VistaShares CEO Adam Patti. "We felt there was an opportunity to mirror the holdings and provide a 15% target [annual yield]."

The Berkshire ETF uses the sale, or writing, of call options to augment income. As a result, the Berkshire ETF may be best suited for tax-free IRAs and 401(k) accounts. "Any income strategy will not keep up in an aggressive bull market" due to the options, Patti says, but the income will offset some stock-price declines. The annual fee is 0.95%.

The total return of the ETF, which closed Friday at $19.20, is about flat since inception. The Berkshire index it tracks, which includes Apple, Berkshire B shares, American Express, and Coca-Cola, has fallen about 4%. "We want as much upside as possible but not to the detriment of hitting the 15%," says Patti.

VistaShares has also filed for actively-traded ETFs that will invest in the publicly disclosed holdings of Bill Ackman, Stan Druckenmiller, and Michael Burry, both with and without options. They could hit the market by Labor Day, with a new, option-free Berkshire ETF.

Write to Andrew Bary andrew.bary@barrons.com

Last Week

Markets

Companies

SoftBank Group sold $4.8 billion of its T-Mobile US stake to fund AI plans. Senate Republicans' tax and spending plan restored the SALT tax deduction to $10,000, curtailed and delayed the foreign investment provision, and retained cuts to solar and wind tax credits. Macquarie Asset Management raised $8 billion for infrastructure investments. A SpaceX Starship exploded, this time during testing. The Senate passed the Genius Act, regulating crypto. Microsoft plans more job cuts, mostly in sales.

Deals

An Abu Dhabi state oil company-led consortium bid $19 billion for Australian energy company SantosU.S. Steel and Nippon Steel completed their deal, with the U.S. claiming power over key decisions via a so-called golden share, though details were vague... Home Depot made a bid for building-products distributor GMS, after Brad Jacobs' QXO offered $5 billion on Wednesday.

Next Week

Monday 6/23

S&P Global releases both its Manufacturing and Services Purchasing Managers' Indexes for June. Consensus estimates are for a 51 reading for the Manufacturing PMI and 52.7 for the Services PMI. Both estimates would be one point less than the respective May figures.

Tuesday 6/24

FedEx reports quarterly results on Tuesday, followed by Micron Technology on Wednesday and Nike on Thursday.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell delivers his Semiannual Monetary Policy Report before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday. He will do the same before the Senate on Wednesday. Powell might be pressed by President Donald Trump's GOP allies as to why the Fed hasn't cut interest rates this year.

Friday 6/27

The Bureau of Economi c Analysis releases the personal consumption expenditures price index for May. Economists forecast a 2.3% year-over-year increase, two-tenths of a percentage point more than in April. The core PCE is expected to rise 2.6%, compared with 2.5% previously. The annual change in the core PCE, the Federal Reserve's favored inflation gauge, is at its lowest level since March 2021.

The Numbers

40%

China's share of the 2024 global robotics market, or $47 billion, expected to grow 23% annually through 2028.

$11 T

Crypto transaction volume in 2024, up 56% from 2023. Illicit transactions dropped 24% to at least $45 billion.

The increase in U.S. government interest costs over the past eight months, to some $776 billion.

$43 T

Total U.S. retirement assets as of March 31, down 1.6% from December, and 34% of all household assets.

Write to Robert Teitelman bob.teitelman@dowjones.com

This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

Risk Warnings and Disclaimers

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