Welcome to this first experimental edition of This Week in Tech!
At Windows Central we cover all things Microsoft, Windows, Surface and Xbox, but there’s a big, bolder tech world out there packed with all kinds of cool gadgets and exciting scientific breakthroughs that we often don’t explore.
While we don’t want to flood the site with topics that go beyond our typical news beat, I thought I’d take a weekly look at the week’s biggest stories to let you know what’s happening outside the Microsoft osphere, whether it’s amazing new devices, space discoveries , cutting-edge technology and more. In the future, we may even aggregate this as part of a newsletter for those of you who also prefer to receive the news that way.
Anyway, let’s get the ball rolling. We’ve got some interesting stories this week, from robotic killer dogs to Amazon Medicare.
Tesla drops tons of bitcoin but hangs on to its dog
Elon Musk’s historic Tesla bitcoin investment from early 2021 has largely been liquidated, in a sale that will see Tesla recoup $936 million of its original $1.5 billion investment.
Elon Musk’s automaker, Tesla, disclosed the sale in a quarterly statement to investors, stating that the crash in the cryptocurrency’s value had affected the firm’s profitability. At its peak, Bitcoin traded for nearly $70,000, but general market volatility multiplied by energy prices and increasing regulatory interest have contributed to a large-scale selloff in the crypto market, with Bitcoin now trading below $24,000 at the time of writing. As part of statements to shareholders, Musk revealed that he did not plan to sell any of the company’s dogecoin, which is another cryptocurrency often pushed by Musk for its meme-worthiness.
Musk said the sale was not an indictment of bitcoin or crypto in general, but instead was due to the need to increase liquidity in tough market conditions, particularly in China, where the coronavirus is ongoing. still, Musk also stopped taking Bitcoin payments for Tesla products last year, over concerns about the sustainability of cryptocurrency from an energy use perspective.
What if robot dogs also had guns?
Remember the cute dancing Boston Dynamics dancing robot Spot? The four-legged robot with AI movement has fostered something of a robotics renaissance, though they’re still probably a few years away from being a common sight on every street corner. However, the New York Police Department has used them in a law enforcement capacity, leading to comparisons to Robocop’s murderous ED-209 robot.
The nightmarish visions of murderous terminator robots actually took a step closer to reality this week, after this video went viral on social media. This UnitreeYushu robot “fun” hack job is reportedly developed by Alexander Atamanov who is building a hoverbike company in Russia. Arms manufacturers are undoubtedly salivating for the potential. Perhaps we are closer to living in The Matrix than some of us previously thought.
Amazon acquires One Medical health clinic network
But hey, if you do get shot by a robot dog, maybe Amazon is here to help!
That’s right, as part of Amazon’s ongoing foray into healthcare, the firm announced it’s acquiring One Medical (via Ars Technica) for a tidy $3.9 billion. One Medical is a health clinic provider with 8,000 employees, operating in approximately 180 locations across the United States.
Amazon has dabbled in healthcare for a few years, most notably as part of the Haven initiative, which fell apart after just three years. Haven was an effort by Amazon and its partners to “lower costs” and improve patient outcomes, but it appears that disrupting the gridlocked US healthcare system may prove more complex than Amazon previously anticipated.
In an interview with Business Insider, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has previously expressed a desire to bring increased competition to the American healthcare system in an attempt to reduce costs and waiting times. This business venture with One Medical could be part of a broader move to get more involved in the space, although it remains to be seen whether Amazon can make a serious inroad. Mark Cuban of Shark Tank fame has been making headlines for his “Cost Plus” affordable medicine operation in recent years, so maybe there’s room for some true disruption in the space. It remains to be seen whether the general public has an appetite for Jeff Bezos-branded healthcare.
Netflix loses 1 million subscribers, but shares rise
It’s been a tough few months for streaming giant Netflix, as competition from Disney+, HBO Max and Amazon Prime continues to increase.
In statements to shareholders, Netflix revealed that it had lost another 1 million subscribers for the Q2 period between April and July. And while that may seem like bad news, it actually wasn’t nearly as bad as the firm expected, sending shares rising from monthly lows of $172 all the way up to $216 at the time of writing. Nevertheless, it pales in comparison to where Netflix started the year, up over 600 points. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings hailed “Stranger Things” as the main driver keeping users from quitting.
2022 marked the first year in the company’s history where subscribers began to quit for other services. Subscription fatigue may be partly to blame, but increased competition and the loss of many high-profile shows are also likely part of the problem for the streaming giant. Netflix has had limited success diversifying its revenue streams, but this week it struck a deal with none other than Microsoft to explore a new lower-cost ad-based tier, with Microsoft becoming the exclusive advertising and technology partner. The collaboration even led to speculation that if Netflix’s share price were to fall further, they could look for an exit or an acquisition by Microsoft itself.
Another exciting week in technology
I thought I’d do an experiment with a new newsletter format given that we plan to increase our newsletter offerings in the coming weeks and months ahead. Beyond Microsoft, Xbox, Surface and Windows, there’s a big, wide world of technology out there that intersects with our favorite ecosystem. Whether it’s artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, cyber security, exciting gadgets or the vast reaches of space, I plan to put more emphasis on all things cool and quirky in this weekly column.
If you want to join us and share stories with us that you think might be a good fit, feel free to get in touch on Twitter @JezCordenor jump into the Windows Central Discord and join the discussion.
