Move over FANG! There may be another acronym on investors lips in the New Year.
Rob Cox, the global editor at Reuters Breakingviews, says Spotify, Lyft, Airbnb, and WeWork - aka SLAW - will be the next generation of disruptive companies to watch.
“We think they’re going to be a great way to play a whole bunch of different ways that we think about working, that’s WeWork; the way we think about playing, Spotify, and the way we get around the world and have fun, whether it’s Airbnb when we travel or of course Lyft,” he said.
These start-ups, all of which are candidates to tap the public markets in 2018, are shooting to change more than the way people consume products, though. Spotify, for example, is reportedly looking to bypass the traditional IPO process entirely, eschewing underwriters, and list its shares directly on the New York Stock Exchange.
Cox says that would be a big blow to bankers.
“They’re going to lose out because this deal is going to go straight to market,” he said. “They are not going to underwrite the IPO, so they’re not going to get the 7 percent [fee] on the deal.”
Lyft meanwhile, which just hired a new vice president of investor relations, would be the first time investors get an opportunity to buy into transportation as a service -- an opportunity, Cox says, is disruptive in its own right.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-tech-ipos-to-watch-in-2018).
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
