*By Britt Terrell*
Roku, the leading provider of over-the-top hardware, has shifted its focus from selling TV boxes to providing access to streaming content through its platform on others' devices.
The company is happy to trade the margins it makes on selling OTT hardware for growing its users, said Steve Louden, Roku's chief financial officer.
"We focus on two things: driving active account growth ー that's the scale of the platform ー and then monetizing the platform," Louden said in an interview Wednesday with Cheddar. "Players are important to us, but they are just one of three ways we grow active accounts," he added.
Roku sells players to plug into TVs; it licenses its platform to TV manufacturers, and licenses its operating system to streaming and telecommunications companies like Sky in Britain and Telstra in Australia.
Hardware sales are becoming less important to the company's bottom line, Louden said, and focus has shifted to its platform business, which has more potential users. The company has 21 million active users, most of them in the U.S., and the company is looking to grow internationally. It's already in 23 countries.
"Roku historically has been primarily focused on being and maintaining our leadership position as the number one streaming platform in the U.S.," Louden said. "But increasingly we are looking to the international markets as well."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/roku-cfo-talks-stock-performance-and-national-streaming-day).
The fintech app backed by billionaire Mark Cuban called Dave made its public debut on the Nasdaq Thursday via a SPAC merger. CEO and co-founder Jason Wilk spoke to Cheddar's Kristen Scholer about the IPO and how his company's services distinguish it from traditional banks. "Customers come to us because they're tired of paying $20 billion of overdraft fees, and they come to Dave, they download our app, and within minutes they can get access to $250 of no interest credit, which we give them through our own proprietary machine learning model," he told Cheddar.
Stephanie Linnartz, president of Marriott International, joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to talk about the launch of the Marriott Design Lab, a new facility within its Bethesda, Maryland, headquarters to explore innovative tech offerings for bolstering the guest experience. "It's all around figuring out how we can innovate in the guest room in the public space, looking at how we can use robotics, improve sustainability, etcetera," she said. Some short-term changes in the future Linnartz also noted is an expansion of the chain's mobile capabilities to make check-in and check-out an easier process for guests, as well as mobile room service, from the feedback it received during the pandemic.
Nike has initiated a lawsuit against athletic apparel retailer and competitor Lululemon over claims of patent infringement. The sneaker giant is claiming the technology in their rival's MIRROR home gym was patented back in 1983.
Adi Robertson, senior reporter at The Verge, joins Cheddar News to break down the battle between two NFT collections by Phunky Ape Yacht Club and PHAYC that are selling plagiarized Bored Ape Yacht Club designs.
Dan Diasio, EY Global Artificial Intelligence Consulting Leader, joins Cheddar News to discuss the role of artificial intelligence for everyday consumers, what hurdles are holding back for greater A.I. adoption, and advice for businesses using this emerging tech.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Founder of Unlimited Tomorrow breaks down how he is creating completely 3D printed prosthetics to make them more affordable, customizable, and accessible; Chief Technology Officer of Zebra Technologies explains what the future of collaboration between robots and humans may look like; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'Mystery of the Roman Skulls.'
Easton LaChapelle, Founder and CEO of Unlimited Tomorrow, and joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how he is creating completely 3D printed prosthetics to make them more affordable, customizable, and accessible. LaChappelle was recently featured in a short film called 'GENERATION IMPACT: THE INVENTOR,' which follows the story of a 14-year-old girl receiving a True Limb and can be found on HP's Digital Hub 'The Garage.'
Tom Bianculli, Chief Technology Officer at Zebra Technologies, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how they are creating technology to make workers' lives easier, and what the future of collaboration between robots and humans may look like.
Stock closed at record highs on the first day of trading in 2022, kicking the new year off on a strong note. Tommy Mancuso, president and co-founder of the The Bad Investment Company, joined Cheddar to discuss his optimism for the year ahead, as well as the significance of Apple hitting the $3 trillion market cap mark.
