Strategy in TECH...
Apollo Global Management, the large private equity company that recently acquired both Emerald Holdings and Questex, announced this month the creation of a new corporate entity that will manage and control the combined business of both trade show aggregators from this point forward. That new corporate parent will be known as Forge.
In retrofit projects, lighting conversations often begin with a limitation. The client wants a more polished, layered environment. They want rooms that feel warmer at night, more comfortable during the day, and more intentional overall. But the house itself may not cooperate.
The ceilings may not be worth opening. The existing wiring may only support a few fixtures. The architecture may be too valuable, too delicate, or simply too expensive to disrupt in pursuit of a full lighting rebuild.
On Tuesday, ADI Global was officially launched as an independent company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with the symbol ADIG. Up to now, it was part of Resideo Technologies. This splitting of the parties was, of course, widely reported and expected, but has now been completed.
With the launch of ADIG stock on the NYSE, a new dawn emerges for both ADI Global Distribution and Resideo Technologies.
In a surprising exposé resulting from a deep investigation by the Nikkei, we have learned that Big Tech is engaged in questionable practices in order to conceal from investors the true amount of debt they are taking on to pursue building out their AI infrastructure with more and bigger…and more expensive…data centers. How big of a deal is this? Huge! In the last four years, debt not reflected on five of the big AI tech companies’ balance sheets – known as “hidden debt” – totals an estimated $1.65 trillion. Yes…trillion, with a “t”.
HTSA, the Home Technology Specialists of America buying group, announced today that Jon Robbins, its current Executive Director, is leaving the organization. Robbins has held this role since he first assumed it in December of 2015.
In a communication with dealers this week, Nice North America, the global holding company for many important custom integration brands, announced it has pulled out of the CEDIA Expo 2026. The company says this is a “strategic” move as it seeks to focus its marketing investments on “initiatives that deliver greater value…”
Back in 2023, Strata-gee did a series of stories on Audio Research Corporation, a high-end tube amplifier manufacturer widely respected in the high-end community, but then going through financial struggles. In fact, when we last visited the Minnesota-based company, they had entered into a legal/financial process known as Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC), a form of receivership that is an alternative to bankruptcy. We revisit them now for an update.
In an announcement that shocked dealers, Dynaudio announced today that it intends to exit the North American market and shift its priorities to other global markets offering “the strongest strategic opportunities.” With this decision, the company will be permanently closing its U.S. subsidiary sometime in the “fall of 2026.”
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.
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.
