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Visa’s Acquisition of Plaid is a $5.3Bn Bet on the Future of Finance

In Technology News by Shelly KramerLeave a Comment

Visa’s acquisition of Plaid is a $5Bn bet on the future of finance, and it’s a smart bet at that. With some 11,000 bank and financial services company clients, covering 200 million consumer accounts, Plaid is currently providing connections for 80 percent of the largest U.S. fintech apps. That’s no small market share — and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Today, Plaid’s APIs are used by one in four people in the U.S. with a bank account — there’s tremendous opportunity for growth. In addition, this acquisition provides multiple opportunities for Visa. Here’s a look at some of those opportunities, thoughts on what’s ahead for Visa and for Plaid, as well as what we expect in the fintech market in the months ahead.

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AWS Releases AutoGluon, an Innovative Open-Source Tooling for Automated Machine Learning

In Technology News by James KobielusLeave a Comment

AWS released AutoGluon, an open source toolkit for automated machine learning, designed specifically for software developers, promising the ability to simplify deep learning for non-experts. If AWS were to release AutoGluon as a commercial solution within its flagship data science DevOps solution, it would be the first of the leading vendors to do so. Here’s what we think is essential moving forward if that’s where this is going.

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CES 2020: Making Sense of the Glut of Innovation on Display

In AI, Technology News by James KobielusLeave a Comment

AI was both a big “winner” and a big “loser” at CES 2020 this week. A winner because just about every vendor’s messaging touted AI as a key feature, but there are a few key reasons that that trend could be troublesome—and brands should take note. My prediction is that AI, though it will remain a core solution capability in coming years, will be a less salient feature in next year’s vendor messaging surrounding CES. Instead, we’ll be immersed in 5G mania. Here’s more on that front.