Strategy in TECH...
This week, the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) unexpectedly announced that CEO Daryl Friedman would retire from the organization in 2027. No reason was offered for this unexpected retirement…and no specific date in 2027 when Friedman’s retirement was to be final was provided.
The popular Northern California CI Expo & Technology Conference is preparing to run on May 28, 2026, in the same facility where the event was hosted last year – the DoubleTree Hotel at the Club, in Pleasanton, California. Organizers tell me that this year’s CI Expo will be even bigger and better than last year, with expanded exhibition space housing a greater assortment of booths presenting all of the latest technology innovations in the custom integration (CI) industry.
Resideo Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: REZI), predominantly a security and safety products company with two major divisions, including Products and Solutions (manufacturing) and ADI (distribution), announced the financial results for its first quarter of fiscal 2026 this week. The company reported that revenues beat previously forecasted guidance, and adjusted earnings grew as well.
And yet the market reacted strongly, with the value of Resideo’s stock crashing almost 18% on the day after it released its results. Read on to see why the stock declined.
Sound United, now part of Harman, which itself is part of Samsung, announced on Thursday that it is launching the next generation of the well-regarded Denon X-Series AV receivers – the AVR-X2900H and the AVR-X3900H. The company says these models are targeted at the advanced AV enthusiast who wishes to push their systems to higher performance levels, as well as the custom integration community who seek products with advanced calibration options, flexible configuration capabilities, and deeper control.
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.
JL Audio, part of Garmin, Ltd, has announced the launch of an interesting new audio system known as Primacy. With Primacy, JL Audio says it has redefined and expanded the high-performance audio market to a wider potential base of customers. What did they change to address this wider market?
Last week, we learned that the status of a major antitrust action filed against Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) is changing. Filed by the State of California in San Francisco Superior Court in 2022, the matter is coming closer to fruition with a trial scheduled to begin next year. In the meantime, more salacious details are emerging from the investigation’s findings as previously sealed court documents were recently unsealed.
Some of those details are quite ugly.
Savant Systems, Inc. announced on Thursday that it has developed an integration for the popular Schlage Encode™ Family of Smart WiFi Deadbolts. Thanks to this tie-up between two great brands, end-users can enjoy easy but full control of their Schlage smart lock and home security.
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?
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), part of the Sound United group, which was recently acquired by Harman (which itself is part of Samsung), announced today the expansion of its popular Px8 S2 over-ear headphone model by launching two new premium finishes. The Px8 S2 features a luxurious Nappa leather trim along with complementary aluminum detailing that all looks great in the new Midnight Blue and Pearl Blue finishes.
