Amazon outspends all of France

Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.

Amazon is setting a new precedent in research and development, with its R&D spending surpassing giants in the tech industry and entire nations' investments.

Can the sheer scale of Amazon's investment redefine innovation and economic impact on a global scale? Let’s get into it…

In today’s tech rundown:

• Amazon’s R&D outspends all of France

• The moon’s lunar crust holds more water than previously thought

• 9 new products

• Peacock breaks streaming record during NFL game

• Amazon’s newest competitor is FedEx

• Nearly half of all cyber incidents are committed by 10 groups

Read time: 3 minutes

TODAY’S HEADLINES

AMAZON

💰 Amazon’s R&D outspends all of France

The Rundown: Amazon's research and development (R&D) investments significantly overshadow the R&D spending of entire countries like France, highlighting the tech giant's colossal financial commitment to innovation.

The details:

• Amazon's R&D spending, amounting to a whopping $73.2 billion, surpasses the total R&D expenditure of France.

• This staggering level of corporate R&D investment by a single American tech company exceeds the combined R&D spending of all companies and government efforts within several nations.

• Even PepsiCo's R&D budget stands higher than the total R&D spending in Nigeria, reflecting the immense resources tech giants can allocate to development and growth.

Why it matters: Amazon's R&D strategy is pivotal, not just in technology but as a significant economic force, illustrating the vast scale and potential impact of corporate investment in innovation compared to national efforts.

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THE MOON

🌙 Research reveals the moon’s lunar crust holds more water

The Rundown: Western University's research indicates that the Moon's crust had significantly more water than previously estimated.

The details:

• Tara Hayden discovered apatite in lunar meteorites, indicating that the early lunar crust was water-enriched.

• Previous assumptions from Apollo mission samples suggested the Moon was dry; this finding challenges that view.

• The research opens new avenues for understanding lunar history and aids in planning for future lunar missions.

Why it matters: The discovery has significant implications for our understanding of the Moon's formation and its early geological processes. It may also affect future lunar exploration, resource utilization, and the planning of missions like NASA's Artemis, which aims to return humans to the Moon.

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SNIPPETS

The Peacock Exclusive AFC Wild Card game set a U.S. streaming record with 27.6 million viewers for the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins.

FedEx is set to launch "fdx," its new all-in-one e-commerce platform catering to both sellers and buyers, by fall 2024.

A research report revealed that nearly half of all cyber incidents in 2023 were orchestrated by ten major threat actors, highlighting the concentration of cyber threats among a small number of influential cybergangs.

Leaked marketing images of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 series reveal AI capabilities and showcase designs similar to their predecessors, along with a range of new features and color options.

Tom Stokely has transitioned into the aviation industry by becoming a director at the British startup Global Airlines.

Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander, a NASA-backed private mission, is set to burn up in Earth's atmosphere after a fuel leak ended its journey to the moon.

Verizon settles for $100M over a fee lawsuit but will continue charging the "Telco Recovery" fee without admitting fault and may increase it in the future.

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THAT’S A WRAP

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