How to play software stocks now
Software stocks like Salesforce (CRM) and Microsoft (MSFT) were in big focus this earnings season. But technologies like AI are changing the game for these software vets. In the video above, Piper Sandler equity research analyst Brent Bracelin gives his take on the maturing software space. He also shares one of his top stock plays.
To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination here.
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Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Bill Gates billions will go to a surprising heir
While being a billionaire may sound like the ultimate solution to all of life's problems, it does come with a slate of its own issues to deal with. One is how to manage such an enormous amount of income, which is what financial advisors are for. While your average person likely only has one financial advisor, it's not unusual for a billionaire to have a team of them. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Another issue is public scrutiny about your income and what you do with it. The world's top billionaires - Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, and Warren Buffett - have all been closely eyed about how they spend. Billionaires who do not choose to contribute to philanthropic causes, such as Elon Musk, can also face heavy criticism. Musk, who has been openly skeptical of charity in the past, has been especially targeted since he's the world's richest man. Related: Bill Gates makes a controversial accusation about Elon Musk On the other extreme is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who is famous for his philanthropic acts. He and his then-wife, Melinda Gates, launched the Gates Foundation in 2000 and plowed $20 billion of Microsoft (MSFT) stock into it with the aim of reducing poverty all around the world. A few weeks ago, Gates announced that he intends to give away "virtually all" of his wealth, which is worth an estimated $107 billion. When he made the announcement, Gates quoted Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, highlighting the quote "The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced." "I have spent a lot of time thinking about that quote lately," Gates wrote. "People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that 'he died rich' will not be one of them. There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people." But Gates didn't specify where he intended that wealth to go - until now. Gates made an appearance at Nelson Mandela Hall at the African Union on June 2. During an address, he announced that the majority of the Gates Foundation's $200 billion spent over the next two decades will have a specific benefactor. "I recently made a commitment that my wealth will be given away over the next 20 years," Gates said. "The majority of that funding will be spent on helping you address challenges here in Africa." "By unleashing human potential through health and education, every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity – and that path is an exciting thing to be part of," Gates said. Related: Microsoft has a secret weapon in war against Google, Amazon Gates also explained that one of his objectives was to prioritize primary healthcare in Africa, saying it has the greatest impact on health and well-being. The Gates Foundation has a long history of working in Africa. It opened its first office in Africa in 2012 and has since spread out to South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal, all the while with a focus on saving lives. "I've always been inspired by the hard work of Africans even in places with very limited resources," Gates said, adding, "The kind of field work to get solutions out, even in the most rural areas, has been incredible." Gates also spoke about AI in his address and how it could potentially bring even more aid to Africa, saying he was "seeing young people in Africa embracing this, and thinking about how it applies to the problems that they want to solve." Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why Salesforce Is Paying $8 Billion for 'the Plumbing of AI'
Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) announced Tuesday that it will acquire Informatica (NYSE:INFA) in a cash deal valued at approximately $8 billion. The acquisition underscores Salesforce's intent to bolster its artificial intelligence capabilities by integrating a core player in enterprise data management. Under the terms of the deal, holders of Informatica's Class A and Class B-1 common stock will receive $25 per share — an 11% premium over the company's closing price of $22.55 on Friday, TechCrunch reported. Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. Informatica CEO Amit Walia framed the acquisition as a shared effort to bring data and AI to life, describing Informatica in a statement as the plumbing for AI and data. Informatica's Intelligent Data Management Cloud platform helps enterprises connect, manage, and unify complex data systems across multi-cloud and hybrid environments. "Joining forces with Salesforce represents a significant leap forward in our journey," Walia said in a statement on Tuesday. "We have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era." Steve Fisher, Salesforce's chief technology officer, said that the truly autonomous, trustworthy AI agents need the most comprehensive understanding of their data, adding that Informatica's metadata and catalog tools will complement Salesforce's agentic AI platform, Agentforce. Trending: The acquisition builds on Salesforce's previous investments in data and AI. It follows the company's multibillion-dollar acquisitions of Slack at $27.7 billion in 2021, Tableau at $15.7 billion in 2019, and MuleSoft at $6.5 billion in 2018. According to Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Informatica will be integrated alongside Data Cloud, Tableau, and MuleSoft to enable autonomous agents to deliver smarter, safer, and more scalable outcomes for every company. Salesforce's operating and financial chief Robin Washington said the company will move quickly to leverage Informatica's capabilities across public sector, life sciences, healthcare, and financial services verticals, where governed, trustworthy data is critical. The deal is expected to close in early fiscal 2027, pending regulatory approvals and other customary closing was taken private in 2015 through a $5.3 billion deal led by private-equity firm Permira and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Informatica says it serves more than 5,000 customers across nearly 100 countries, including over 80 of the Fortune 100, according to its acquisition announcement. The transaction will be financed through a combination of Salesforce's cash and new debt, the company said in the announcement. Read Next: How do billionaires pay less in income tax than you?. Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? SALESFORCE (CRM): Free Stock Analysis Report INFORMATICA (INFA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Why Salesforce Is Paying $8 Billion for 'the Plumbing of AI' originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Microsoft, CrowdStrike, other cyber firms collaborate on threat actor taxonomy
This story was originally published on Cybersecurity Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Cybersecurity Dive newsletter. Microsoft and CrowdStrike will lead a cooperative effort to map out the overlapping web of hacker groups that their researchers have disclosed and named, the companies said on Monday. Palo Alto Networks and Google and its Mandiant unit have also agreed to join the collaborative effort on streamlining threat group taxonomy. For years, the companies' different naming conventions for various criminal and state-linked threat groups have created unnecessary confusion and delays in the sharing of threat intelligence. Microsoft and CrowdStrike released an initial version of their threat actor matrix on Monday, listing the groups they track and each one's corresponding aliases from other researchers. Palo Alto Networks and Google and its Mandiant unit are joining the collaborative effort on streamlining threat group taxonomy. Vasu Jakkal, corporate vice president of Microsoft Security, said that even delays of a few seconds can make a difference in whether an attack is thwarted or successful. 'One major cause of delayed response is understanding threat actor attribution, which is often slowed by inaccurate or incomplete data as well as inconsistencies in naming across platforms,' Jakkal said in a blog post. Microsoft and CrowdStrike have collaborated on more than 80 adversaries so far, according to Adam Meyers, senior vice president for counter adversary operations at CrowdStrike. "Aligning on naming conventions isn't just a nice-to-have but a game-changer for defenders trying to act fast,' Michael Sikorski, CTO and head of threat intelligence at Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42, told Cybersecurity Dive. 'A shared baseline for threat actor names means faster attribution, improved cyberattack response, and fewer blind spots.' Microsoft, for example, tracks the criminal threat group known widely as Scattered Spider as Octo Tempest, while Palo Alto Networks tracks it as Muddled Libra. Microsoft and CrowdStrike are also working on a plan to create a small, focused group of contributors who will help define a process of updating and maintaining attribution mappings, Meyers said in a blog post. Meyers said there will be no change in how the companies name and identify threat actors, as each company will retain its own methods, telemetry and naming system. Naming conventions in the cybersecurity space have long been a source of controversy, not only because different firms track the same groups slightly differently but also because of how companies sometimes mythologize the capabilities of threat actors. Jen Easterly, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, criticized some of the naming conventions during a 2024 speech at Black Hat, saying companies have almost made it seem like hacker groups have immortal superpowers.
