What I read this week.

Here are a few things I found interesting this week on the web.

Joe Burrage

Jun 03, 2024

DUOLINGO’S KATHERINE CHAN IS AMPLIFYING ITS OWL MASCOT’S ONLINE FAME AND POP CULTURE REACH - Katherine Chan, Duolingo's director of global social media, has expanded the brand's social reach beyond TikTok, generating 3 billion social impressions in 2023. Chan's strategies included viral moments like Duolingo's Barbie movie cameo and a YouTube Shorts series. Under her leadership, Duolingo’s global TikTok accounts flourished, with over half of the brand's social reach coming from international channels. Chan values visible business impact from her marketing efforts and believes in taking career risks for growth.
Salesforce shares plunge 16% on first revenue miss since 2006 - Salesforce shares dropped 17% in extended trading after reporting weaker-than-expected revenue and issuing lower guidance. Revenue was $9.13 billion, missing the $9.17 billion expectation, while adjusted EPS was $2.44 versus $2.38 expected. The company's guidance for Q2 also trailed expectations. Despite a 11% revenue increase year-over-year, longer deal cycles and budget scrutiny affected bookings.
Suddenly There Aren’t Enough Babies. The Whole World Is Alarmed -Global fertility rates are falling rapidly, often below the replacement rate of 2.2 children per woman, posing significant demographic and economic challenges. High-income nations saw declines since the 1970s, worsened by the pandemic, and developing countries like India now also fall below replacement. This trend, driven by societal shifts and individual preferences, threatens shrinking workforces, slowing economic growth, and underfunded pensions. Government interventions have had limited success in reversing these declines.
Nvidia announces new AI chips months after latest launch as market competition heats up- Nvidia unveiled its next-gen AI chip architecture, "Rubin," ahead of the COMPUTEX conference, just months after announcing the "Blackwell" model. CEO Jensen Huang highlighted the accelerated pace, with Rubin following Blackwell in under three months. Nvidia aims for annual AI chip updates, shifting from a biennial schedule. Competitors like AMD and Intel are striving to catch up. Rubin features new GPUs and a central processor called "Vera." Nvidia's shares were steady at $1,096.
Amazon Prime Day 2024: Everything to know about the big sale in July - Amazon Prime Day 2024 is expected in July, offering exclusive deals for Prime members on gadgets, clothes, and household items. New subscribers can use a 30-day free trial to access the deals. Competitors like Walmart will also have sales, such as Walmart+ Week from June 17-23.