YouTube ad revenue bounced back in the last quarter of 2023, to the tune of 15.5%. Variety.com reports that 4th quarter YouTube ad revenue was $9.2 billion, hitting Wall Street expectations. YouTube revenue had dropped nearly 8% in the same quarter of 2022. Parent Alphabet beat Wall Street expectations. The internet giant posted Q4 revenue of $86.31 billion (up 13.5%) and earnings per share of $1.64. Analysts on average expected $85.33 billion in revenue and EPS of $1.59, according to financial data provider LSEG.

Microsoft is releasing a suite of Microsoft 365 apps for Apple’s Vision Pro headset this week. Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Loop, and Microsoft Teams will all be available in the App Store for Apple Vision Pro on February 2nd — the same day Apple’s new headset is available in stores. According to the verge.com, Vision Pro owners will also be able to access an AI powered version of Copilot while using the headset. Besides Microsoft, Disney and others are supporting Apple’s new Vision Pro…but so far Netflix and YouTube won’t be launching apps…you’ll have to watch streaming via a web browser to use their services. 

Elon Musk is lighter in the wallet today after a ruling from the Delaware Court of Chancery that nixed his $55 billion pay package. Theverge.com notes that the ruling threatens Musk’s fortune substantially if it makes it through an appeal. He would drop to third richest in the world…and if the Tesla stock should drop below a certain level, he will have to surrender a substantial chunk of his stock that he pledged to financial firms to borrow the money to buy Twitter, which he changed to X. The pay package was approved by Tesla’s board and shareholders in 2018. The court found that investors weren’t told that Musk himself came up with the plan of that the board’s members were beholden to him. Musk just last week demanded more control over Tesla, calling for 25% ownership of the firm to pursue AI work. That would about double his present stake of 13%.

Comcast has been referring to its ‘Xfinity 10G Network’ for a while, and both Verizon and T-Mobile challenged Comcast’s advertising and promotion of 10G. Arstechnica.com reports that the term has been used by cable companies, but refers to 10Gbps broadband connections, not an ultra speedy 10th generation of wireless tech. A ruling came from the ad industry’s self-regulatory BBB National Advertising Division, which Comcast appealed to the National Advertising Review Board. That board ruled today that “Comcast should discontinue use of the term 10G, both when used in the name of the service itself (‘Xfinity 10G Network’) as well as when used to describe the Xfinity network. The use of 10G in a manner that is not false or misleading and is consistent with the panel decision is not precluded by the panel recommendations.” The cable operator will discontinue the brand name ‘Xfinity 10G Network,’  and won’t use the term ‘10G’ in a manner that misleadingly describes the Xfinity network itself,” Comcast said.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.