Hi there, 

TikTok shattered records to become the most downloaded app (315M downloads) in Q1’20. 

The app has some pretty odd content (or is it because I’m not a zoomer?), but I’ll admit — it’s weirdly addictive. Open the app and you’ll accidentally spend 4 hours sucked into a hole of everything from frivolous dance trends to activist spiels to bizarre skits.  

But what’s the secret to its success? Here’s our take: 

• The youth love it. It’s trendy. Two-thirds of its global user base is <30 years old.

• It’s easy to go viral. Users want to engage with its content. The top 50 content creators on TikTok have more followers than the populations of Mexico, Canada, the UK, and Australia combined.

• Eerily accurate personalization algorithms. Here’s one way to think about it: it’s not so much a content platform but an AI lab that develops algorithms that predict and serve relevant videos to viewers.

The absurd success of TikTok propelled its owner, Bytedance, to become the most valuable unicorn in the world.

But it’s not the only app in Bytedance’s portfolio — we dig into how the China-based unicorn is leveraging TikTok and the rest of its portfolio to take on Big Tech in this report.

Nature is not healing

Amazon is launching a $2B venture fund to tackle the issue of climate change. 

Take a look at which companies are focusing on the issue — and could represent potential investment targets for Amazon — in our What Is Geoengineering? report.

Tech domination 

Wow — the FAMGA market cap is equal to that of the next 24 largest public cos combined. That includes cos like Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan, Pepsi, Merck, and others.

I'm on top of the world

With a reported valuation of $140B, Bytedance is the most valuable unicorn in the world. 

Though TikTok may be its crown jewel, the China-based unicorn has a number of other viral products that’ve helped propel its high-flying status. We dig into the rest of Bytedance’s rapidly expanding portfolio in our latest report.

Game on

Microsoft announced plans to shutter Mixer, its video game streaming service, and partner with Facebook Gaming in an effort to boost audience numbers and compete with Twitch.  

E-sports has seen viewership surge amid Covid-19. See how gaming — and 23 other industries — will continue thriving in the post-pandemic world here.

Buckle up

Hype around self-driving vehicles has faded as suppliers focus on more feasible applications for autonomy, such as driver assistance and last-mile delivery.

Expert Intelligence clients can read more about the auto industry's long-term outlook for connectivity, electrification, and autonomy here.

TechCrunch. Connie Loizos (@Cookie) reports on investor Chamath Palihapitiya’s panel at the CBI Tech Conference.

Axios. Dan Primack (@danprimack) writes up key points from his conversation with investor Chris Sacca at the CBI Tech Conference.

VentureBeat. Douglas Campbell (@dougcampbellSP) looks at the US’ Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and references CB Insights research on seed funding in Q1’20.

P.S. We’re looking for a content marketing manager. Send in your resume here.

What’s up, doc? An AI algorithm learned how to stitch up wounds using publicly available how-to videos.

Wall Street Journal

Uber-as-a-service. The ride-hailing giant has partnered with a public bus agency in California to develop on-demand public transportation.

Venture Beat

Marco? Polo! Researchers have mapped one-fifth of the world’s ocean floor — and aim to plot the rest by 2030.

The Verge

Data by the fistful. Big tech’s troves of data are revolutionizing the social sciences, which increasingly rely on computation to understand human behavior.

Nature

It’s not you, it’s me. Apple’s Macs will ditch Intel microprocessors for the first time in 15 years.

Ars Technica