Silicon Valley Wants to Woo the Pope on Matters of AI - Tech News Briefing
The tech revolution drove Pope Leo XIV's decision to select his papal name, and gave the world a glimpse of his priorities leading the Catholic Church. WSJ reporter Margherita Stancati discusses the long-running dialogue between Silicon Valley and the Vatican. Plus, Oracle is lending a hand to small tech companies that want to do business with the U.S. government. WSJ CIO reporter Belle Lin brings us the exclusive details of a new program, and what's in it for the multinational tech giant.
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Can Amazon Stock Double by 2030?
Amazon has an unbeatable share of e-commerce, and the industry is expected to rise at a compound annual rate of 8% in the next few years. It's the largest cloud computing company, and it expects the AI business through its Amazon Web Services to skyrocket. The stock is trading at an attractive valuation today. 10 stocks we like better than Amazon › The stock of Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has delivered life-changing gains for investors who got in early enough. It's up nearly 200,000% over its lifetime and 900% over the past 10 years. Everyone is talking about what it's doing in artificial intelligence (AI) today and how that could jump-start sales growth. There's a huge long-term opportunity, but can Amazon stock double over the next five years? With all of the AI hype, let's not forget that Amazon's main business, for now at least, is e-commerce, where sales were $94 billion in the 2025 first quarter, accounting for more than 60% of total revenue. The company has a hold on U.S. e-commerce, and it's taking many actions to protect that moat and keep its dominant spot. Its Prime members count on that part of the business for their essentials purchases and more. It controls about 40% of the total U.S. e-commerce market, with the next-highest competitor, Walmart, at only around 6%. CEO Andy Jassy said that although it could be affected by new tariffs, shoppers tend to choose retailers they trust when there's uncertainty. And its huge base of sellers and product assortment mean that shoppers are likely to find the items they need at the price they want on its platform. As usual, Amazon reported increasing delivery speed in the 2025 first quarter, and it has made a number of changes to its logistics network to keep that up. It changed from a national network to a regional one, it keeps more of its highest-selling products closer to more shoppers, and uses AI throughout its business to determine fast and cheap shipping options. The company is testing new processes in a pilot distribution center that's cutting 25% of processing time and is on track to deliver 25% cost savings at peak times. E-commerce overall is expected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8% through 2029, according to Statista, and as the leader in the industry, much of that will land on Amazon's platform. Beyond e-commerce, the company has launched a hugely successful advertising business that leverages its unmatched e-commerce platform for consumer exposure to ads. It also now offers an ad-supported streaming tier on Prime Video through its ad business, with strong results so far. The company sees its biggest opportunities right now in AI, which it has used in e-commerce for years to determine consumer preferences and show products that shoppers are looking for. That leads to greater sales conversion and lower returns, since consumers find what they actually want. It takes that a step further by showing side-by-side comparisons on price and features. But the breakout segment is Amazon Web Services (AWS), its cloud computing business, which has been an incredible growth driver for years. And although sales have drastically decelerated over the past few years from percentage growth in the 30s to the mid to high teens, AWS is still responsible for the majority of total company operating income -- 63% in the first quarter. It's also where management is releasing its generative AI business, which it sees as the wave of the future. The AI operation is already a multibillion-dollar business, but management sees it going much higher. As the technology becomes a standard component of all app development, more business clients will need to get onto the cloud, where most of the app development is happening. Amazon has a lead in cloud services, with 30% of the market, and this should provide a boost for AWS in addition to exploding as its own business. Assuming the stock maintains its current valuation, doubling in price means doubling revenue. To double revenue in five years, it would need to increase sales by a CAGR of only 6%, which is lower than its current growth. Not only is it possible for the stock to double over the next five years, but it also can do it even faster if its CAGR is higher than 6%, or if its valuation goes up. The stock is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 35, close to its lows, giving it room for some valuation expansion. In any case, Amazon looks like a solid bet for growth over the next five years. Before you buy stock in Amazon, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Amazon wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $659,171!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $891,722!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 995% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Jennifer Saibil has positions in Walmart. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Can Amazon Stock Double by 2030? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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Explainer-How is Tesla expected to remotely control its robotaxis, and what are its limitations?
By Chris Kirkham, Norihiko Shirouzu, Rachael Levy and Abhirup Roy (Reuters) -Tesla is expected to tiptoe into its long-awaited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, as soon as Sunday with about 10 of its Model Y SUVs that will operate within strict limits. CEO Elon Musk has said the company is being "super paranoid" about safety and that humans will remotely monitor the fleet. Remote access and control - known in the industry as "teleoperation" - is used in varying degrees by the handful of robotaxi startups operating around the globe. The technology has clear advantages and important limitations. Here are some details of how it works: WHAT IS TELEOPERATION? Teleoperation is the control of machines by humans in a different location, usually over a wireless network. It is used to train robots to operate autonomously, monitor their autonomous activity, and take over when required. HOW DO ROBOTAXI OPERATORS USE TELEOPERATION? The global robotaxi industry is still in test mode, as companies deploy the vehicles in limited geographic areas and continually adjust the artificial intelligence software that controls them. Teleoperation is often used to intervene when a vehicle is unsure of what to do. Alphabet's Waymo, for example, has a team of human "fleet response" agents who respond to questions from the Waymo Driver - its bot. "Much like phone-a-friend, when the Waymo vehicle encounters a particular situation on the road, the autonomous driver can reach out to a human fleet response agent for additional information," Waymo said in a blog post last year. Former Waymo CEO John Krafcik told Reuters, "the cars aren't being actively monitored," adding that the software is "the ultimate decision-maker." A Waymo video shows a car asking a remote operator whether a street with emergency response vehicles is open to traffic. When the human says yes, the vehicle proceeds. In contrast, other companies, such as Baidu's Apollo Go in China, have used fully remote backup drivers who can step in to virtually drive the vehicles. Baidu declined to comment. WHAT ARE THE LIMITATIONS? Driving vehicles remotely on public roads has a major potential problem: it relies on cellular data connections that can drop or operate with a lag, disconnecting the vehicle from the remote driver in dangerous situations. Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University engineering professor and autonomous-vehicle safety expert, said that approach could work for a small test deployment of 10 vehicles, such as Tesla's initial effort in Austin, but he called teleoperation "inherently unreliable technology." "Eventually you will lose connection at exactly the worst time," he said. "If they've done their homework, this won't ever happen for 10 cars. With a million cars, it's going to happen every day." Former Waymo CEO Krafcik agreed, adding that the time delay in cell signal makes remote driving "very risky." On the other hand, relying on the vehicle to reach out for help and allowing the vehicle to be the decision-maker are risky as well, Koopman said, as it does not guarantee the vehicle will make the right decision. Waymo declined to comment on the limitations of its approach. Koopman also noted there are limits to how many vehicles one person can safely monitor. A group of Democratic Texas lawmakers asked Tesla on Wednesday to delay its robotaxi launch until September, when a new autonomous-driving law is scheduled to take effect. The Austin-area lawmakers said in a letter that delaying the launch "is in the best interest of both public safety and building public trust in Tesla's operations." WHAT IS TESLA'S APPROACH? Musk for years has promised, without delivering, that its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) advanced driver assistance software would graduate to completely self-driving and control robotaxis. This year, he said Tesla would roll out a paid service in Austin underpinned by an "unsupervised" version of the software. "Teslas will be in the wild, with no one in them, in June, in Austin," Musk told analysts and investors in January. In May, he told CNBC that the robotaxi would only operate in parts of Austin that are safe for it, would avoid difficult intersections, and would use humans to monitor the vehicles. What those teleoperators will do is not clear. For years inside Tesla, company executives have expected to use teleoperators who could take over in case of trouble, said one person familiar with the matter. For instance, if a robotaxi were stuck in a crowded pedestrian area and confused about what to do next, a human teleoperator could take over and guide it, the source said. Tesla advertised for teleoperation positions, saying the company needs the ability to "access and control" autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots remotely. Such employees can "remotely perform complex and intricate tasks," it said in the advertisements. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. "We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift," Musk said in a post on X last week while providing a tentative launch date of June 22. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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S&P Futures Slip as Israel-Iran Conflict Remains in Focus
June S&P 500 E-Mini futures (ESM25) are trending down -0.20% this morning as cash trading resumed after the Juneteenth holiday, with investors digesting the White House's signal that President Trump would delay a decision to launch strikes against Iran. The conflict between Israel and Iran entered its second week, with Israel hitting more nuclear sites in Iran on Thursday and warning that its strikes could topple Tehran's leadership, as both sides awaited a decision from U.S. President Donald Trump on whether to join the offensive. On Thursday afternoon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Trump would decide within two weeks whether the U.S. would participate in strikes against Iran, while noting there was a 'substantial chance' of reaching a negotiated settlement. The news alleviated immediate concerns of U.S. military escalation, providing some relief to investors. As widely expected, the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday. The Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously to keep the federal funds rate in a range of 4.25%-4.50% for the fourth consecutive meeting. In a post-meeting statement, officials said that 'uncertainty about the economic outlook has diminished but remains elevated.' Policymakers also released updated quarterly rate projections and economic forecasts, lowering their estimates for economic growth this year while projecting higher inflation and unemployment. While the median projection for two rate cuts this year remained unchanged, officials now anticipate fewer cuts in 2026 and 2027. At a press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated his view that the central bank was 'well positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance.' Powell also stated that rising tariffs are likely to push prices higher, cautioning that their impact on inflation could be more persistent. 'They are clearly in wait-and-see mode. They are sitting on their hands, waiting to see if tariffs increase inflation or the jobs market starts to falter, and whichever part of their dual mandate is impacted first will likely guide whichever direction they take,' said Chris Zaccarelli at Northlight Asset Management. In Wednesday's trading session, Wall Street's major indexes ended mixed. Mastercard (MA) slid more than -5% to lead losers in the S&P 500, and Visa (V) fell over -4% to lead losers in the Dow amid continued worries about the impact of stablecoins on credit-card issuers. Also, Zoetis (ZTS) slid more than -4% after Stifel downgraded the stock to Hold from Buy. In addition, La-Z-Boy (LZB) fell over -1% after the furniture maker posted weaker-than-expected FQ4 adjusted EPS and issued soft FQ1 revenue guidance. On the bullish side, Coinbase (COIN) surged more than +16% and was the top percentage gainer on the S&P 500 after the Senate passed the Genius Act, legislation aimed at regulating stablecoins, and the company introduced Coinbase Payments, a stablecoin payments stack for commerce platforms. The Labor Department's report on Wednesday showed that the number of Americans filing for initial jobless claims in the past week fell -5K to 245K, compared with the 246K expected. Also, U.S. May housing starts plunged -9.8% m/m to a 5-year low of 1.256M, weaker than expectations of 1.350M, while building permits, a proxy for future construction, fell -2.0% m/m to 1.393M, weaker than expectations of 1.420M. Meanwhile, Wall Street is bracing for a quarterly event known as 'triple-witching,' during which derivatives contracts linked to equities, index options, and futures expire, prompting traders collectively to either roll over their current positions or initiate new ones. According to an estimate from Citi, $5.8 trillion of notional open interest across equities is set to expire today, including $4.2 trillion of index options, $708 billion of bets on U.S. ETFs, and $819 billion of single stock options. Rocky Fishman, founder of research firm Asym 500, estimated a larger figure of roughly $6.5 trillion, which also includes the notional value of options on equity index futures expiring today. On the economic data front, investors will focus on the U.S. Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index, which is set to be released in a couple of hours. Economists, on average, forecast that the June Philly Fed manufacturing index will stand at -1.7, compared to last month's value of -4.0. The Conference Board's Leading Economic Index for the U.S. will also be released today. Economists expect the May figure to be -0.1% m/m, compared to the previous number of -1.0% m/m. On the earnings front, notable companies like Accenture (ACN), Kroger (KR), Darden Restaurants (DRI), and CarMax (KMX) are slated to release their quarterly results today. U.S. rate futures have priced in a 91.7% chance of no rate change and an 8.3% chance of a 25 basis point rate cut at the next central bank meeting in July. In the bond market, the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note is at 4.403%, up +0.16%. The Euro Stoxx 50 Index is up +0.77% this morning, snapping a three-day losing streak as sentiment improved after the White House downplayed speculation that the U.S. was close to joining Israel in strikes against Iran. Travel stocks led the gains on Friday. Chip stocks also gained ground. Still, the benchmark index is on track for its first back-to-back weekly drop since the start of April. Meanwhile, European foreign ministers are scheduled to meet with Iranian officials in Geneva on Friday to urge them to de-escalate. On the economic front, data from the Office for National Statistics showed on Friday that Britain's monthly retail sales fell much more than expected in May, a fresh indication of pessimism in an economy struggling to gain traction. Separately, data showed that France's manufacturing climate indicator fell slightly in June. Investor focus is now on the Eurozone's preliminary consumer confidence data for June, due later in the session. In corporate news, Tui AG ( climbed over +4% after Barclays double-upgraded the stock to Overweight from Underweight, citing strong demand for packaged travel. At the same time, Berkeley Group Holdings Plc ( plunged more than -7% after the homebuilder announced management changes. U.K. Retail Sales, U.K. Core Retail Sales, Germany's PPI, and France's Business Survey data were released today. U.K. May Retail Sales stood at -2.7% m/m and -1.3% y/y, weaker than expectations of -0.5% m/m and +1.7% y/y. U.K. May Core Retail Sales arrived at -2.8% m/m and -1.3% y/y, weaker than expectations of -0.5% m/m and +1.8% y/y. The German May PPI has been reported at -0.2% m/m and -1.2% y/y, compared to expectations of -0.3% m/m and -1.2% y/y. The French June Business Survey came in at 96, weaker than expectations of 97. Asian stock markets today settled in the red. China's Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) closed down -0.07%, and Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Index (NIK) closed down -0.22%. China's Shanghai Composite Index closed slightly lower today. The conflict between Israel and Iran, now in its second week, continued to rattle investor confidence. Investor sentiment was also dampened by the absence of concrete policy signals from this week's Lujiazui Forum, with focus now turning to the upcoming July Politburo meeting for more definitive signs of economic support measures. The benchmark index ended the week lower. Meanwhile, China left its benchmark lending rates steady as expected on Friday, after a reduction in the prior month intended to help offset the effects of trade tensions with the U.S. The one-year loan prime rate stayed at 3.0% and the five-year LPR was unchanged at 3.5%, according to the People's Bank of China. In other news, the European Union said it intends to exclude Chinese firms from the bloc's government purchases of medical devices after determining that EU manufacturers lack equal access in China, further escalating trade tensions between Brussels and Beijing. In corporate news, Pop Mart International Group slid over -4% in Hong Kong after a Chinese state media commentary urged tighter regulation of blind-box toys and trading cards to prevent potential addiction among children to purchasing the mystery items. Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Index ended lower today as hotter-than-expected inflation data from the country and Middle East tensions dampened sentiment. Video game and heavy-industry stocks led the declines on Friday. Despite Friday's drop, the benchmark index ended the week higher. Government data released on Friday showed that Japan's core inflation accelerated to a fresh 2-year high in May and stayed above the Bank of Japan's 2% target for over three years, but that may not prompt a rate hike anytime soon, as the country's central bank waits to assess the outcome of U.S. trade talks. Persistently high inflation is complicating the BOJ's policy stance, as uncertainty tied to tariffs makes it more difficult to gauge the appropriate timing for raising rates to curb price pressures. Meanwhile, minutes from the central bank's April 30-May 1 policy meeting released on Friday showed that some BOJ policy board members said it was appropriate to maintain a stance favoring additional rate hikes, as real interest rates remain deeply negative and the 2% inflation target seems attainable. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Friday that the central bank will keep raising interest rates if improvements in the economy continue to support a sustained achievement of its 2% inflation target. On the trade front, Japan's top trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said on Friday that trade talks with the U.S. 'remained in a fog' despite ongoing efforts by both sides to reach an agreement. In other news, Japan's Ministry of Finance is scheduled to meet primary dealers today and institutional investors on Monday to discuss JGB issuance, with investors speculating that it may consider cutting volumes of 20-, 30-, and 40-year JGBs while increasing the supply of two-year bonds. The Nikkei Volatility Index, which takes into account the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, closed up +1.59% to 25.60. The Japanese May National Core CPI stood at +3.7% y/y, stronger than expectations of +3.6% y/y. Pre-Market U.S. Stock Movers GMS Inc. (GMS) soared over +19% in pre-market trading after the Wall Street Journal reported that Home Depot had made an offer for the company. Mondelez International (MDLZ) rose nearly +1% in pre-market trading after Wells Fargo upgraded the stock to Overweight from Equal Weight with a price target of $78. Smith & Wesson Brands (SWBI) plunged more than -13% in pre-market trading after the gunmaker posted weaker-than-expected FQ4 results. You can see more pre-market stock movers here Today's U.S. Earnings Spotlight: Friday - June 20th Accenture (ACN), Kroger (KR), Darden Restaurants (DRI), CarMax (KMX). On the date of publication, Oleksandr Pylypenko did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Sign in to access your portfolio
