Strategy in TECH...
The latest reading on the current mood of consumers – the Consumer Confidence Index produced by The Conference Board – dropped by 7.2 points in March to a reading of 92.9. This is the fourth consecutive month of decline. The Expectations Index, consumers’ expectations for conditions within the next six months, dropped a startling 9.6 points to 65.2…the lowest level in 12 years.
Surprising news out of South Korea reported just today – Samsung Electronics CEO and Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee died on Tuesday morning of cardiac arrest, the company confirmed. He was just 63 years old.
More signs of a potential downturn in the economy are emerging almost every day now, causing red flag warnings to be popping up just about everywhere. The fact that there are multiple warning signs that come from different sources tends to reinforce the general thinking that the U.S. economy is quickly entering the danger zone.
Premium Audio Company (PAC), a subsidiary of Voxx International Corporation (Nasdaq: VOXX) and soon to be a subsidiary of Gentex Corp. (Nasdaq: GNTX), announced that it is entering into a “strategic partnership” with the National Alliance of Trade Merchants (NATM). PAC calls NATM “a leading national buying co-op of top independent retailers in the United States.” The move appears to be a pretty transparent effort to replace sales volume lost when major buying group ProSource dropped all PAC brands from its list of supported products.
Is this new partnership a good alternative? Read on…
On Tuesday, New York University (NYU) and Sony Corporation announced a new partnership to establish the Sony Audio Institute, which is “…a multifaceted partnership at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.” Sony has donated $7.5 million to create the institute, which is expected to launch this spring.
There is a major shakeup in the executive management team at Sony Group that will take effect at the beginning of the next fiscal year, which, as is true for most Japanese companies, starts on April 1, 2025. These are big changes to important roles, including Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and President.
But the change that most Sony employees are buzzing about is the person that was named as its new CFO.
Pomerantz Law has announced it is launching an investigation of Sonos, Inc (Nasdaq: SONO) on behalf of investors. The firm says that this action is being taken to investigate claims surrounding the company’s handling of its 2024 app disaster and whether certain Sonos officers and/or directors “have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.”
On Tuesday, after the close of financial markets, Masimo Corporation (Nasdaq: MASI) announced its financial performance for the fourth quarter and full year of Fiscal 2024. Consolidated revenues grew a mere 2%, and the company booked a net loss of $304.9 million. And yet, investors were thrilled, driving up the value of shares of MASI stock by a double-digit percentage on the first trading day after the announcement.
What?!?!
Resideo Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: REZI) reported its financial performance in the fourth quarter and full year of Fiscal 2024, the period that ended on December 31, 2024. The company showed good growth, much of which was thanks to its June 2024 acquisition of Snap One, which contributed $553 million to its net revenues.
However, that revenue win was not pain free…
On Monday, Sonos, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONO), in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), revealed that Deirdre Findlay, Sonos Chief Commercial Officer, had resigned from her position with the company on February 19, 2025. This is yet another top executive, in this case, a top marketing position, to leave the company.
