
Sales And AI—The New Power Couple?
AI sales tools are changing how vendors offer products. So are human sales pros still needed? You betcha! The next SAP Insights newsletter explains.
Salespeople in the time of AI: Sales is in the 'is AI going to take my job?' category. AI tools for sales are helping companies craft customized product plans—see: the rise of consumption-based pricing—to help customers get the most out of their investment. So, who needs people, right? Your customers do, that's who! They, too, love a good AI tool, but they also love a salesperson who they trust, who knows their company, and who gets them.
Also in this edition:
Hiring win/win: Companies that hire neurodivergent workers see some very positive results for their efforts. However, hiring from this talent pool can take a bit more thought. This group doesn't always do well with traditional recruiting methods, but there are other ways that companies can assess their skills that work just as well as the usual interviewing process.
Youth quake: And speaking of hiring, the global population of young people is on track to grow, yet there hasn't really been a parallel effort to ensure that these youth have sufficient learning and career opportunities. Not everyone has access to higher education, so there's been renewed interest in other ways of providing training, such as apprenticeships. But are companies on board?
Research That Hasn't Reached Your Inbox: In this issue, we've got the problems with risk-taking CFOs, hype cycles, and how to take advantage of employer review sites.
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Gizmodo
17 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
The Hidden Cost of OpenAI's Genius
OpenAI is the undisputed poster child of the AI revolution, the company that forced the world to pay attention with the launch of ChatGPT. But behind the scenes, a desperate and wildly expensive battle is raging, and the cost of keeping the company's geniuses in-house is becoming astronomical. According to a recent report from The Information, OpenAI revealed to investors that its stock-based compensation for employees surged more than fivefold last year to an astonishing $4.4 billion. That figure isn't just large; it's more than the company's entire revenue for the year, accounting for a staggering 119% of its $3.7 billion in total revenue. This is an unheard-of figure, even for Silicon Valley. For comparison, Google's stock compensation was just 16% of its revenue the year before its IPO. For Facebook, it was 6%. So what's going on? In short, OpenAI is fighting for its life in an unprecedented talent war, and its chief rival, Meta, is on the offensive. Mark Zuckerberg has been personally courting top AI researchers with massive compensation packages, successfully poaching several key minds from OpenAI's core teams. This has reportedly prompted a crisis at OpenAI, forcing it to 'recalibrate compensation' and promise even more rewarding pay packages to prevent a catastrophic brain drain. While stock-based compensation doesn't immediately burn through a company's cash reserves, it creates a major risk by diluting the value of shares held by investors. Every billion dollars in stock handed to employees means the slices of the pie owned by major backers like Microsoft and other venture capital firms get smaller. OpenAI is trying to sell this strategy as a long-term vision. The company projects that this massive expense will fall to 45% of revenue this year, and below 10% by 2030. Furthermore, OpenAI has reportedly discussed a future plan where its employees would collectively own roughly one-third of the restructured company, with Microsoft also owning another third. The goal is to turn employees into deeply invested partners who have a massive incentive to stay and build. But the 'Meta effect' is throwing a wrench in those neat projections. The aggressive poaching and the ensuing pay bumps mean OpenAI's costs are likely to remain sky-high. This high-stakes financial strategy puts OpenAI in a precarious position. The company is already spending billions of dollars a year as it spends heavily on the computing power needed to run its models. Adding billions more in stock compensation puts immense pressure on the company to dramatically increase revenue and find a path to profitability before its investors get spooked. While Microsoft seems locked in for the long haul, other investors may grow weary of having their ownership diluted so heavily. It forces a countdown timer on the company to deliver a massive financial return to justify the cost. OpenAI was founded with a mission to build artificial general intelligence (AGI) that 'benefits all of humanity.' This costly talent war, fueled by capitalist competition, puts immense pressure on that founding ideal. It becomes harder to prioritize safety and ethics when you're burning billions to keep your top minds from joining the competition. Ultimately, OpenAI is betting these billions to ensure it has the best talent to win the race to create the world's first true superintelligence. If they succeed, the financial cost will seem trivial. If they fail, or if a competitor gets there first, they will have spent themselves into a hole for nothing. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
This Under-$10 Stock Soars 585% in a Year. What Analysts Think Will Happen Next.
Shares of CommScope (COMM) are on an impressive run, rising more than 585% in a year. This strong rally reflects the company's solid position as a provider of essential infrastructure solutions for communication, data centers, and entertainment networks. CommScope's growth is likely to be supported by the strength of its three core business segments. The Connectivity and Cable Solutions (CCS) segment provides essential fiber optic and copper connectivity solutions, serving a diverse range of sectors, from data centers to residential broadband networks. Meanwhile, the Networking, Intelligent Cellular, and Security Solutions (NICS) segment focuses on wireless networks crucial for both enterprises and service providers. Lastly, the Access Network Solutions (ANS) segment offers essential products, including cable modem termination systems, video infrastructure, and cloud solutions. This Analyst Just Raised His Broadcom Stock Price Target by 70%. Should You Buy AVGO Now? Why Alibaba Stock Looks Like a Screaming Buy After Falling 27% From Its 2025 Highs 2 ETFs Offering Juicy Dividend Yields of 20% or Higher Stop Missing Market Moves: Get the FREE Barchart Brief – your midday dose of stock movers, trending sectors, and actionable trade ideas, delivered right to your inbox. Sign Up Now! CommScope is poised to capitalize on the robust growth in the data center market, driven by increasing investments from hyperscale and cloud customers as they expand their AI infrastructure. Moreover, the rebound in its NICS and ANS segments sets a promising trajectory for future growth. In addition, the company's strategic move to divest non-core businesses further enhances its operational efficiency. Despite these positives, the stock's recent rally has sparked concerns about its valuation. Moreover, its high leverage ratio remains a risk. Against this background, let's explore what analysts are forecasting for CommScope stock. CommScope is entering the second half of 2025 with strong momentum, signaling a promising outlook. Its CCS business will continue to benefit from the AI-led tailwinds. Moreover, normalized channel inventory in the NICS and ANS segments, new product launches, and its focus on adding incremental selling resources will support its growth. The company's CCS segment is experiencing impressive momentum, particularly in its enterprise fiber business, which caters to the rapidly growing data center market. First-quarter revenue from this business soared 88% year-over-year to $213 million, now accounting for 29% of CCS revenue, up from 19% a year ago. The growth is fueled not only by the expansion of data centers, but also by the increasing demand from new generative AI architectures. These next-gen AI clusters require more fiber connectivity than traditional systems, pushing up demand for CommScope's fiber solutions. Furthermore, CommScope is accelerating new product development and investing in additional production capacity to capitalize on the rising demand. Its broadband products within CCS are also seeing stronger demand as customer inventories stabilize. In the NICS segment, which includes the RUCKUS product line, Q1 revenue jumped 51% year-over-year, supported by the launch of Wi-Fi 7 products and the RUCKUS Edge platform. This platform enhances networking and security solutions for sectors such as education, where CommScope has recently secured a significant contract. With channel inventory now normalized, NICS is set up for substantial gains in the second half of 2025. ANS, CommScope's access network segment, also delivered solid results, with Q1 sales up 20% and EBITDA up 177% year-over-year, thanks to new node and amplifier products, as well as higher legacy license sales. With a robust pipeline of new offerings and improving market conditions, ANS is expected to keep growing. In summary, CommScope's solid performance across all three business segments, improving industry conditions, and focus on new product launches and profitability improvements set the stage for strong growth in the quarters ahead and could potentially boost its share price. CommScope is poised to deliver solid growth and has been focusing on strengthening its balance sheet, notably paying off its 2026 debt maturities ahead of schedule in the first quarter of 2025. However, despite this progress, CommScope's net leverage remains elevated, at 7.8 times as of March 31, raising some concerns. Furthermore, the stock's recent surge has kept analysts bearish. COMM stock holds a 'Moderate Sell' consensus rating. Adding to the concern, the average analyst price target of $5.10 suggests a potential downside of about 36% from current levels. This indicates that analysts believe the stock may be due for a significant pullback, even as the company works to improve its financial health. CommScope's remarkable rally over the past year reflects the strength of its core businesses and its exposure to rapidly growing sectors, such as data centers and AI infrastructure. Moreover, a rebound in its NICS and ANS segments augurs well for growth. However, elevated debt levels and stretched valuations warrant caution. On the date of publication, Amit Singh did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data


Geek Vibes Nation
31 minutes ago
- Geek Vibes Nation
How To Get Notified When Someone Comes Online On WhatsApp (2025 Guide)
In 2025, WhatsApp remains one of the most widely used messaging platforms in the world — boasting over 2.8 billion monthly active users. It's become the default app for staying connected with friends, family, and even coworkers. But what if you want to know the moment someone comes online on WhatsApp? Whether you're trying to catch someone for an urgent conversation, ensure your child is online at a set time, or just keeping tabs on a contact's availability, getting a notification when they come online can be incredibly helpful. However, WhatsApp doesn't offer a native 'online notification' feature, so you'll need to use other strategies and tools — responsibly and ethically. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to get notified when someone comes online on WhatsApp, and discuss the privacy concerns and limitations to be aware of in 2025. Why You Might Want Online Notifications Here are some common, legitimate reasons people look for this feature: Time-sensitive communication: Waiting for a client, classmate, or team member to come online Parental monitoring: Ensuring that kids are using WhatsApp at agreed-upon hours Accountability: For work or remote group tasks, tracking online activity can help with coordination Digital safety: For parents or guardians trying to protect minors from late-night chatting That said, this should always be done ethically — spying on others without consent is both a privacy violation and potentially a breach of local laws. Method 1: Use WhatsApp Web Manually (Low-Tech Approach) One of the simplest (but manual) ways is to open WhatsApp Web, select the chat with the person in question, and monitor their status at the top (e.g., 'online' or 'last seen at…'). While this won't notify you when they come online, it allows you to check in periodically. Limitations: No real-time alert or automation Inefficient for long-term tracking Doesn't work if their 'Last Seen' is hidden Method 2: Use a WhatsApp Online Tracker Tool Several third-party apps and web-based tools claim to monitor when a contact comes online. These tools typically work by connecting your WhatsApp to their system, and then keeping the status of chosen contacts under surveillance. Popular examples include: WaStat WhatzTrack OnlineNotify (for jailbroken iPhones — not recommended) WTrack How they work: You input the phone number or select the contact, and the app will send you a notification whenever the person appears online, and when they go offline again. Pros: Real-time online/offline alerts Some tools provide daily or weekly usage reports Can be used discreetly (though ethically questionable) Cons: May require access to your WhatsApp account Risk of data misuse or violating WhatsApp terms Paid features and ads in free versions May not work if the person hides their 'Last Seen' and 'Online' status Important Note: WhatsApp's newer privacy controls (as of iOS 18 and Android 14) allow users to hide their 'Online' status even more effectively. If the person has chosen to restrict who can see when they're online, no third-party app can reliably bypass that. Method 3: Use Family Orbit for Ethical Parental Monitoring If your goal is to monitor your child's WhatsApp usage — not just online status but overall digital behavior — a parental control app such as Family Orbit provides a far more comprehensive and ethical solution. Key features: Monitors WhatsApp activity through iCloud (for iPhone) Logs messages, call history, and usage patterns No app installation required on the child's device Sends alerts when certain apps (including WhatsApp) are used Rather than just focusing on when someone is online, Family Orbit takes a well-rounded, privacy-respecting approach to child safety. It avoids the privacy gray area of spying on others and is designed specifically for monitoring minors with parental consent. Privacy and Ethical Considerations With growing digital privacy concerns worldwide, it's important to understand the boundaries when tracking someone's online activity: Don't use online trackers on adults without their consent Respect WhatsApp's privacy features — misusing these tools can violate their terms of service Talk openly with your child or teen about why you're using parental controls — it fosters trust, not secrecy Also, note that WhatsApp continues to tighten privacy controls, so most tracking tools may not remain reliable in the long run. Final Thoughts Getting notified when someone comes online on WhatsApp might sound like a simple feature — but it lives at the intersection of convenience and privacy. While there are third-party tools that offer real-time notifications, they come with ethical and technical caveats. If you're a parent, using a tool like Family Orbit to track WhatsApp usage holistically — with transparency and accountability — is a smarter and safer choice. For everyone else, manual checks or honest communication remain the best path.