CB Insights - Zuck’s fears

The future of retail? Livestreaming’s success in China — where live e-commerce sales are projected to reach $423B this year — has captured the attention of platforms in other parts of the world, like Amazon, YouTube, and Meta. But rollouts to Western consumers have had mixed results so far. TikTok has put on hold its live e-commerce expansion into Europe and the US, and Meta is ending live shopping on Facebook. At the same time, expect platforms to continue experimenting with these features in the hopes of cracking the live shopping code outside of East Asia. 

Cushy days are over. Executives at Meta and Alphabet have their eyes set on employee productivity. Slowing (or reversing, in Meta’s case) revenue growth + growing headcounts = falling productivity. Both companies have announced plans to slow hiring. 

Small bites. While fellow big tech players like Amazon and Microsoft have been on an acquisition tear, Apple’s M&A spending is slowing down. The company acquired just 1 company in 2021 and 2 in 2022 so far, compared to nearly 1 per month in prior years. We uncover Apple’s growth strategy here.

Factory shine. Global funding to manufacturing tech has held steady in 2022 so far. The sector has been resilient compared to the broader venture market, which saw funding decline 23% from the first quarter in Q2’22. In particular, US-based startups are raking in the cash to help overcome manufacturing shortages. See our list of the top 50 advanced manufacturing startups here.

All by myself. On average, Americans’ time spent with coworkers peaks around the age of 30. After the age of 40 (when time spent with children peaks), alone time increases substantially. 

Feeling blue. The streaming service in teal is our favorite. Yours?
 

I love you.

P.S. Your company’s application for the CB Insights Digital Health 150 awards is due September 9. Get it in here.
 

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