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AI is a Little Too Artificial & Unintelligent; Ford Rehires Engineers Fired for AI

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After turning product quality over to AI, Ford was forced to rehire 300 engineers

For a few months now, we’ve been seeing a moderation in enthusiasm on Wall Street for Artificial Intelligence (AI) investment. On several occasions, a major tech company would announce a new multi-billion-dollar investment to acquire chips or other AI technology…or to build huge data centers to train LLMs…only to see their stock value crash. In a nutshell, investors are coming to believe that there is no way AI can hit a level of success great enough to repay the now trillions of dollars of collective investment by big Tech to create it.

Then, this week, Ford Motor Company announced it would rehire more than 300 engineers who had been let go to turn their jobs over to AI. Ford admits its AI ambitions failed and has rehired these “graybeard” veteran engineers with decades of experience to improve product quality.

Learn how AI attitudes appear to be changing…

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Audio Advice Acquires Miami-Based Sound Components

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Audio Advice Wilmington, NC showroom
Audio Advice, Wilmington showroom [Click to enlarge]

Audio Advice, a prominent smart home retailer and custom integrator based in Raleigh, North Carolina, announced today that it has acquired Sound Components, another well-known AV integrator based in Miami, Florida. This move joins two well-respected and popular integration industry players into one large multi-market integration business.

More on Audio Advice acquiring of Sound Components…

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ADI Reassures Control4 Dealers That When It Exits Resideo, Nothing Will Change

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copy of ADI email to Control4 dealers

This week, ADI Global Distribution, currently part of Resideo Technologies but soon to be split off as an independent company, has sent an email message to Control4 dealers reassuring them that nothing is going to change when the company goes independent from Resideo. The email to dealers, which has been viewed by Strata-gee, reassured dealers that ADI’s commitment to Contro4 is stronger than ever.

But, is it?

See more on ADI’s message to Control4 dealers…

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The Art of the Pivot

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Randy Blanchard shares the story of his pivot from Pecar to ADI
Randy Blanchard (R) authored this Guest Post [Click to enlarge]

A Guest Post by Randy Blanchard

In an industry often defined by rapid-fire technological shifts, I have spent the last thirty years mastering a different kind of evolution: the strategic bridge between high-end custom integration and national scale. From the high-fidelity showroom floors of Detroit’s legendary Pecar Electronics to the corporate boardroom of a billion-dollar distributor, my constantly evolving career serves as a masterclass in how to pivot to navigate the complexity of the AV custom integration market.

The purpose of this story is to share some of the milestones and career pivots that combined to help shape my “Be a Trusted Partner” philosophy—and how this principle helped to turn a security giant into an AV powerhouse.

See how a security industry giant became an AV powerhouse…

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With Resideo Spin-Off of ADI Imminent, Sources Say ADI is Cutting Staff

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ADI website
ADI website [Click to enlarge]

Multiple sources are reporting that last week, Resideo Technologies’ company ADI unexpectedly executed layoffs of what they believe to be large numbers of employees, potentially in the hundreds. Many, if not most, of these layoffs are said to be centered on ADI’s Control4 unit legacy employees.

See what reports are saying on this alleged round of layoffs from ADI Global Distribution…

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Sony Partners with Chip Giant TSMC to Develop Next-Gen AI Image Sensors

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A Sony image sensor

Sony Group recently announced it is forming a co-development partnership with chip manufacturing giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to create what it calls the next generation of AI image sensors. In announcing the partnership, the company revealed that, with these next-level AI sensors, it is targeting the advanced robotics and automotive segments.

Learn all about Sony’s next great technological foray…

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At The Last Minute, Samsung Averts a Major Strike That Could Have Crippled the Global Tech Industry

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Samsung logo at a facility
[Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP]

Word came out this week that Samsung Electronics and its union members have reached a deal that staves off a threatened strike that could have had a global impact. Samsung is the world’s largest manufacturer of memory chips, and as the chip manufacturing employees’ contract was up for renewal, negotiations were challenging. However, with 90 minutes left before the strike deadline, the parties reached an agreement that includes a bonus that will average $340,000 per employee in the chip manufacturing division.

Learn all about the narrowly averted Samsung chip division strike…

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Emerald & Questex Acquired by PE Firm Apollo Global Mgmt; Deal Valued at $1.5B

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Emerald Holding, Inc. has been acquired by Apollo

Emerald Holding, Inc. (NYSE: EEX), a major consolidator of trade shows and business conferences in multiple industries, including owner of the CEDIA Expo and CEPro/Commercial Integrator/Security Sales & Integration, has agreed to be acquired by Apollo Global Management, one of the largest private equity companies in the world that specializes in “alternative assets.” In the same announcement, we learned that Apollo is also acquiring another event consolidation company known as Questex, as part of the same transaction, and which Apollo intends to merge with Emerald.

The deal, in which Apollo will pay $5.03 per share, is said to be valued at approximately $1.5 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the back half of 2026 and will create one of the largest trade show and conference event consolidators in the U.S.

Read all about the acquisition of Emerald…

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Big News in Big Tech – Apple CEO Tim Cook Will Retire; Insider John Ternus Takes Over

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Apple’s John Ternus (L), soon to be CEO & Tim Cook (R), soon to be ex-CEO [Photo: Apple][Click to enlarge]

On Monday this week, Apple, Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) confirmed what had been widely rumored: CEO Tim Cook would retire from the company. Cook, who is 65 years old, will leave his role as CEO in September and move into a new position as Executive Chairman of the Apple Board of Directors.

The impact of this development is significant and is likely to echo throughout the entire technology industry. Let’s contemplate that a little…shall we?

Read more on the Apple CEO transition…

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Netgear Wins FCC Conditional Approval on Its Consumer Routers, Exempting Them From Ban

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From Netgear website

Netgear announced that it has received conditional approval on its routers from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This approval from regulators, the company says, means that dealers and consumers can rest assured that it is safe to buy, sell, and use Netgear routers which are now exempt from the recently announced ban on foreign-made routers by the U.S. government.

Who else has received FCC conditional approval?

See more on Netgear routers achieving conditional approval from U.S. regulators

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