
Building the Future of San Francisco: PG&E, United Airlines executives on how new technology is reshaping the city's economy (podcast)
San Francisco is becoming more tech-forward — and customer-focused.
In the third episode of this podcast mini-series, The Future of San Francisco, San Francisco Business times Market President and Publisher Pete Casillas sits down with two industry leaders to hear how their companies are adapting their technology to fit consumer needs. Jake Zigelman, vice president of PG&E's Bay Area region, and Lori Augustine, vice president of United Airlines SFO Hub, share how they are using advancements in AI and digital tools to make working and traveling more efficient for customers.
Listen to the full episode to learn more about:
How PG&E is using drones and AI to inspect assets across service territories (1:03)
The ways PG&E is anticipating electric usage changes and getting ahead of capacities (5:53)
United Airlines' plan for digital tools to modernize operations for customers benefit (10:41)
What United Airlines is doing to make flight schedules and airport lobbies more customer-friendly (13:01)
This episode is brought to you by United Airlines.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Will Delta Air Lines and United Airlines Make Warren Buffett Eat His Words?
Warren Buffett has criticized the airline industry. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are leading a new era of profitability among network carriers. Both airlines have improved operationally, and so has their competitive positioning in the industry. 10 stocks we like better than Delta Air Lines › Warren Buffett has made some critical comments on the airline industry over the last few decades, and frankly, he has a point. But are his criticisms still valid, or have carriers like Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) altered the way investors should view the industry? The airline industry has historically struggled to generate the returns to cover its cost of capital. This is a point recognized by the International Air Transport Association and by Buffett himself. The legendary investor has argued that airlines' high fixed costs and the low marginal cost of adding extra seating and capacity lead to a tendency to ramp up capacity while also selling tickets at a low price. It's essential to note that when Buffett and others speak disparagingly about the airline industry and the returns it has generated for investors, they are typically referring to equity investors in airlines. In contrast, bond investors have tended to do well, and airlines appear to have little difficulty attracting capital to the industry, not least because bonds are commonly securitized against valuable assets, namely the planes. It's also been an excellent industry for suppliers of airline equipment. In Berkshire Hathaway's annual letter in 2007, Buffett wrote: "The airline industry's demand for capital ever since that first flight has been insatiable. Investors have poured money into a bottomless pit, attracted by growth when they should have been repelled by it." In 1990, he called out the self-destructive pricing tactics of certain carriers. And in 1992's letter, he talked about airlines acting like members of a competitive tontine -- an arrangement whereby the participants contribute equally to a prize that goes to the lone survivor -- that they wish to conclude "as rapidly as possible." The general theme of a capital-intensive industry, with relatively small and ever-at-risk profit margins, containing participants who don't always act rationally, would go a long way to explaining why airlines have struggled to cover their cost of capital. That said, there's a strong case for arguing that the airline industry is different now. As mentioned previously, Delta and United Airlines are both consistently generating a return on invested capital (ROIC) that exceeds their weighted average cost of capital (WACC), a key requirement for generating value for shareholders. They are doing so because of a combination of their business models, a change of behavior, and certain structural factors within the industry that are creating a favorable long-term environment for network carriers like Delta and United. As for their business models, both continue to grow premium travel revenue, and it's proving more resilient in a slowdown. For example, the tariff-induced slowdown this year hasn't led to any deterioration in high-end consumers' willingness to purchase a premium experience, according to United's chief commercial officer, Andrew Nocella, on the last earnings call. It was a similar story from Delta's president, Glen Hauenstein, who said, "We have not seen any cracks yet in the Premium." And their loyalty programs -- Delta's SkyMiles and United's MileagePlus -- not only foster loyalty and customer recognition, leading to repeat bookings, but they also generate a wealth of valuable data on consumer behavior and produce lucrative revenue through the sale of miles. As Buffett's quotes above suggest, the industry hasn't always acted rationally, but there is recent evidence that it has begun to do so. For example, when overcapacity manifested itself in the spring of last year, airline stocks sold off heavily, only to recover strongly after carriers reduced unnecessary capacity. Fast forward to today, and both Delta and United have announced cutbacks on capacity expansion plans in light of slowing bookings -- a sign of rational behavior. Lastly, on the structural advantages, a combination of rising airport costs (partly due to the need for infrastructure investment), labor costs, supply chain costs, and parts shortages is putting significant pressure on the margins of low-cost carriers. That's creating an opportunity for network carriers to offer economy tickets to fill capacity. The airline industry has undergone significant changes, and while Buffett's words should always be heeded, the reality is that Delta and United are generating good and sustainable ROIC by diversifying their revenue streams to ensure long-term, sustainable growth. Both stocks are attractive for long-term investors. Before you buy stock in Delta Air Lines, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Delta Air Lines 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 $664,089!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $881,731!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 994% — 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 23, 2025 Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Delta Air Lines. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Will Delta Air Lines and United Airlines Make Warren Buffett Eat His Words? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data


Business Wire
2 hours ago
- Business Wire
Energous Introduces Battery-Free e-Sense Tag, Establishing First End-to-End Wireless Power Platform for the Ambient IoT
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Energous Corporation d/b/a Energous Wireless Power Solutions (NASDAQ: WATT), a leader in over-the-air (OTA) wireless power networks, today announced the launch of the e-Sense tag, a battery-free, maintenance-free wireless sensor for location and temperature monitoring in retail, supply chain, and logistics environments. Ambient IoT is reshaping how the physical world connects. With the introduction of the e-Sense tag, Energous now offers a complete ambient IoT platform consisting of wirelessly-powered, battery-free sensors, RF-based energy transmitters, and cloud-based monitoring software. This integrated system enables uninterrupted, real-time visibility across supply chains without relying on batteries, manual maintenance, or conventional wired infrastructure. The e-Sense tag operates using energy harvested from Energous' wireless power network. It features a compact 4x5 cm form factor; is fully encapsulated and waterproof; and is engineered for reuse in high-volume, operationally-complex environments. The tag continuously reports temperature and location data to Energous' cloud platform and is optimized for retail, transportation, and cold chain applications. It is exclusively compatible with Energous PowerBridge ® transmitters and offers cost savings benefits compared to conventional battery-powered alternatives. 'Adding e-Sense to our product portfolio positions Energous as a full-stack provider of wirelessly powered sensing and infrastructure solutions for tracking interconnected devices in the ambient IoT ecosystem,' said Mallorie Burak, CEO and CFO of Energous. 'This tag eliminates both the maintenance burden and environmental impact of batteries while providing enterprise-grade sensing and connectivity at scale – enabling businesses to bring intelligence to products, pallets, and packages in their supply chains at scale.' Sensor data from the e-Sense tag is transmitted to e-Compass, the company's secure, cloud-based asset intelligence platform. The platform offers real-time monitoring, device management, zoning, reporting, and support for historical data analysis. Built on AWS IoT Core, e-Compass supports enterprise deployments with tools for regulatory compliance, process optimization, and decision-making based on real-time environmental conditions. The e-Sense tag further realizes the company's vision for an end-to-end ambient IoT solution. Together with Energous transmitters and e-Compass cloud software, it forms a system architecture that delivers persistent visibility, energy autonomy, and operational efficiency across large, distributed supply chains. Ambient IoT enables a new class of connected devices that are smaller, lower-cost, and more sustainable than traditional, battery-powered sensor technologies. As global enterprises scale deployments to improve traceability, compliance, and automation, wireless power is becoming an essential layer of infrastructure. Energous provides the certified technology, deployment experience, and platform integration required to support these initiatives. 'Ambient IoT is reshaping how the physical world connects,' concluded Burak. 'The launch of e-Sense completes our end-to-end solution – bringing together wireless power, intelligent sensing, and cloud-based visibility into a single, scalable platform. It reflects our continued commitment to delivering the wireless, battery-less infrastructure required to support the real-time supply chain visibility that will transform industries.' About Energous Wireless Power Solutions Energous Corporation d/b/a Energous Wireless Power Solutions (NASDAQ: WATT) is pioneering scalable, over-the-air (OTA) wireless power networks that enable unprecedented levels of visibility, control, and intelligent business automation. The company's wireless power transmitter and receiver technologies deliver continuous access to wireless power, helping drive a new generation of battery-free devices for asset and inventory tracking and management—from retail sensors, electronic shelf labels, and asset trackers to air quality monitors, motion detectors, and more. For more information, visit or follow on LinkedIn. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may describe our future plans and expectations and are based on the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of Energous. These statements generally use terms such as 'believe,' 'expect,' 'may,' 'will,' 'should,' 'could,' 'seek,' 'intend,' 'plan,' 'estimate,' 'anticipate' or similar terms. Examples of forward-looking statements in this release include but are not limited to statements about the future of the global wireless charging industry and statements about our technology and its expected functionality. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from current expectations include: uncertain timing of necessary regulatory approvals; timing of customer product development and market success of customer products; our dependence on distribution partners; and intense industry competition. We urge you to consider those factors, and the other risks and uncertainties described in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), any subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q as well as in other documents that may have been subsequently filed by Energous, from time to time, with the SEC, in evaluating our forward-looking statements. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent Energous' views only as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. Energous does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements unless required by law.


Digital Trends
3 hours ago
- Digital Trends
New Audi models are getting a major Dolby sound upgrade
If you're considering buying a new Audi you will want to read this, as there's a major sound upgrade coming to a number of the auto maker's models. From July 2025, new Audi Q7, Q8, A8 and e-tron GT EV models will come with Dolby Atmos support. This immersive surround sound experience has been common place in movie theaters and home hi-fi systems for years, but it also appears in a number of cars. Recommended Videos While it's not the first firm to introduce this tech, it's a boost for future owners looking for a premium sound experience on the move. Audi joins a long line of manufacturers who have Dolby Atmos in select vehicles, including Cadillac, Mercedes‑Benz, Porsche, Rivian, Smart and Volvo. While surround sound has existed in cars for some time, Atmos dials things up a notch by not only surrounding you with speakers front and back, left and right, but by also delivering sound from above, to create a cocoon of audio. One of its majors use cases is creating a more immersive experience when watching movies, but this isn't an option in Audi's vehicles. Instead the Bang & Olufsen Premium 3D Sound System, which has been specially adapted to integrate Dolby Atmos Music, will provide you with premium music playback. You'll be able to listen to Atmos tracks via the Amazon Music, Audible and Tidal streaming services, with the ability to download their apps directly on Audi's infotainment system for easy access. Premium sound for premium models While this is a welcome addition to Audi's in-car entertainment setup, Atmos for now is only available in the firm's most expensive vehicles. You'll need to make sure you have the Bang & Olufsen Premium sound system with 3D option selected, which isn't included in the base-level trims of the Q7, Q8 and A8. That means Audi's two best selling cars in the US during 2024 – the Q5 and Q3 SUVs – are not getting the Atmos upgrade. At least, not for now. Audi could look to bring Dolby Atmos to more models in the future – although we've had no word on whether this is being considered – so for now you'll have to make do with the top-spec options.