Odd Lots: The Secretive Chinese Chip Giant That Could Be Nvidia's Biggest Threat
Right now, Nvidia stock is back near its all-time highs, thanks to seemingly unquenchable demand for its AI chips. When it comes to profiting off of this boom, Nvidia's lead and lock-in looks almost unassailable. But there is one particular company that is clearly on the mind of CEO Jensen Huang, and that is Huawei. On this episode, we speak with Washington Post reporter Eva Dou, the author of the new book House of Huawei: The Secret History of China's Most Powerful Company. Her book explains how the historical development of Huawei is basically synonymous with the rise of modern China, having started early on in Shenzhen, when that was one of the few parts of the country where capitalism and free enterprise were allowed to take root. She discusses what the company does, how it became so strong, its links to the Chinese government, and how it emerged as a possible rival to Nvidia.
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Forbes
21 minutes ago
- Forbes
The Real Risk In Recruiting Isn't AI; It's IA (InAction)
Casey Marquette is a seasoned Fortune 50/200 security strategist & CEO at Covenant Technologies empowering elite technical recruiting teams. When AI entered the recruiting conversation, it was met with both optimism and apprehension. It promised to streamline hiring, reduce bias and help organizations find better talent faster. For some, that promise is starting to come true. But for most, it remains just out of reach. According to LinkedIn, 73% of talent acquisition professionals agree that AI will reshape how companies hire. Yet despite this momentum, only 11% of recruiting teams report having truly integrated AI into their processes, and more than 30% haven't explored it at all. This hesitancy is understandable. AI raises valid concerns about bias, data privacy, transparency and cost. But I believe many companies are overlooking a larger risk; doing nothing leaves recruiting teams at a growing disadvantage. The Status Quo Is Quietly Breaking Down Most recruiting still relies on manual processes and disconnected technologies. Resumes are screened by overworked teams. Interview scheduling drags out for days. Candidate evaluations vary wildly depending on who's involved. This status quo is inefficient, expensive and increasingly unsustainable. Top candidates don't wait around. Many receive multiple offers in days. Slow hiring cycles in high-pressure industries like healthcare, insurance and technology mean lost talent, missed revenue and damaged employer reputation. Even companies that have invested in technology often find themselves frustrated. Their platforms may offer plenty of features, but they weren't built with recruiters in mind. They provide data without insight, automation without strategy and compliance without clarity—digital clutter. AI Alone Won't Fix Recruiting—But Its Role Is Evolving The idea that AI can replace recruiters is not only misleading but harmful. The best hiring decisions still require final human judgment. What AI can do is help recruiters spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time on high-value work. This is where a better framework is needed, one that views AI not as a substitute but as a support system. Augmented Intelligence refers to the intentional use of AI to enhance, not replace, human decision-making. In recruiting, it means AI assists with speed, insight and scale, while people bring context, judgment and relationship. This model remains the most accurate and forward-looking framework for how AI should operate in recruiting. What's changing is what AI is capable of. Today's advanced AI models, especially those powered by large language models (LLMs), do far more than analyze and accelerate. They can learn from hiring patterns, feedback loops and recruiter input. They begin to understand role requirements and the less tangible elements of cultural fit and leadership style. 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When recruiters and AI systems learn together, hiring becomes faster, more intelligent, inclusive and aligned with long-term success. What's Holding Teams Back? While the technology exists, real adoption still lags. The reasons vary, but looking at my work with clients, internal recruiters and HR teams over the past few years, some common themes emerge: • Bias Concerns: Fears that AI will reinforce existing inequities. • Opaque Systems: Tools that don't explain how decisions are made. • Poor Integration: Platforms that disrupt more than they support. • Limited Training: Recruiters unsure how to use the tools effectively. • Lack Of Leadership Alignment: Tech investments without strategic backing. These are solvable problems. However, solving them requires a mindset shift from viewing AI as a one-size-fits-all product to understanding it as a framework that evolves with the team. 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They'll be the ones that use it most wisely, choosing tools that respect the craft of recruiting while amplifying what makes it powerful. These companies will: • Replace reactive hiring cycles with data-informed planning. • Reduce time-to-fill without cutting corners on quality. • Deliver better candidate experiences, from first contact to offer. • Equip recruiters with insight, not just automation. This doesn't require a total overhaul. It starts with asking the right questions: Where are we losing time in our hiring process? What tools are our recruiters actually using, and which are getting in the way? Are we learning from each hire, or repeating the same process without feedback? If the answers point to gaps in consistency, efficiency or visibility, AI can help—but only if it's purposefully introduced. The Bottom Line The future of recruiting isn't about removing humans from hiring. It's about removing the obstacles that keep them from doing their best work. The tools are ready. The question is whether we're ready to use them before someone else hires the people we want. Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
Forbes
29 minutes ago
- Forbes
3 Ways To Use AI So It Won't Dumb You Down At School Or Work
We've all heard about smart tech. What about using tech wisely? For years I worked as a college essay coach. I helped students create narratives to accompany their applications. In all that time what surprised me most was a universal discomfort with writing. Not only did my students struggle to construct powerful narratives, but many also had difficulty simply generating ideas. It's therefore no surprise so many college students now turn to AI to complete their work. In August 2024, found that nearly 90% now use it to complete academic assignments. 'And they are using it regularly: Twenty-four percent reported using AI daily; 54% daily or weekly; and 54% on at least a weekly basis.' Though many higher education institutions officially condemn AI as a form of cheating, many professors are also apparently using AI as a helpful resource, for everything from creating syllabi to addressing students on why they received a particular grade. 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Slide Rules to Smartphones: This Isn't a New Problem As recently as the 1960s and early 1970s, engineers and astronauts relied on slide rules for complex math calculations like those presented in the film Apollo 13. Unlike the calculator and even ChatGPT which instantly spits out answers, slide rules force humans to still use their brains, sharpening one's mental abilities, approximation skills, and logical reasoning. 'Use it or lose it' is another famous saying apt to this discussion. Now that every smartphone comes equipped with a built-in calculator, there's little incentive for people from any walk of life to regularly use math skills. Without such practice, they often atrophy once we've completed our formal schooling. Ditto for applications like Waze and Maps. It's gotten to the point that many people rely entirely on their phones for basic navigation from home to work. Are We Growing Too Dependent on Tech? As far back as 2018, pundits warned about the dangers of cognitive diminishment due to an overreliance on artificial intelligence. Statesman Henry Kissinger was one such person. 'AI, by mastering certain competencies more rapidly and definitively than humans, could over time diminish human competence and the human condition itself as it turns it into data,' he wrote in a revealing piece for The Atlantic. Less than 10 years later his prescience is disturbingly spot-on. Much like the Internet's stunning ubiquity, AI is fast becoming the go-to tool of choice, not just for students and teachers, but for business professionals everywhere. Talk about necessity! Among other things, artificial intelligence now helps companies achieve unprecedented levels of productivity, including automating repetitive takes, improving customer service, personalizing marketing outreach, optimizing talent management, strengthening cybersecurity, and enhancing market research—to name a few. 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Pushing back against AI enables you to flex your own mental muscles. Doing so helps you learn the why behind the answers it gives you. This process strengthens your mental abilities, learning from an outsourced brain in a digital mentor/mentee relationship. What a Wise Philosopher Can Teach Us About Smart Tech More than 2,000 years ago, Socrates—a wise man himself—expanded people's minds by asking them a series of questions. His process was called the Socratic Method, and it led to the development of modern philosophy. Nowadays we may look back at him and say, 'Wow. What a genius!' Socrates didn't see it that way. Instead, all his intellectual searching led him to sagaciously remark: 'The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.' Now as we stand at an inflection point with AI advancing by the second, people young and old would do well to adopt a similar wise mindset. Specifically, we must strive to be ceaselessly curious about our world and ourselves. After all, it's this very curiosity that enables AI's ceaseless intellectual growth. Now that's something we can learn from.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Global Stocks Edge Higher, Oil Pares Gains After US Strikes Iran
Global stocks are edging higher and oil prices are paring gains as investors bet that Middle East tensions won't disrupt commodity flows significantly after the U.S. struck three Iranian nuclear facilities Saturday evening. Investors are watching for Iran's next move, as its parliament reportedly approved the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts have said closing the Strait would hurt Iran, which needs to export oil to major customer stocks are edging higher and oil prices are paring gains as investors bet that Middle East tensions won't disrupt commodity flows significantly after the U.S. struck three Iranian nuclear facilities Saturday evening. Investors are watching for Iran's next move, as its parliament reportedly approved the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil supply transits. Still, analysts have said closing the Strait would hurt Iran, which needs to export oil to its major customer China. Oil prices are flat after surging earlier, with both Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate futures up around 0.4%. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump suggested regime change in Iran. "It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Sunday. Markets were muted despite the signs of escalation of tensions. U.S. stock futures are pointing slightly higher, with Dow Jones Industrial Average futures up 0.1% and Nasdaq and S&P 500 futures up 0.2%. The Stoxx Europe 600 index is down 0.2%. Japan's Nikkei closed down 0.1%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng, where the biggest Chinese companies are listed, ended up 0.7%. Read the original article on Investopedia
