Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has been pretty quiet as a company of late, what with Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) taking their shares of headlines lately, in both positive and negative ways. On this Monday, however, CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s company is featured in several short items in the headlines.
Facebook Inc (FB): Iran Government Goes Social
Nasser Karimi of The Canberra Times (Australia) is reporting on what seems to be a rarity in politics nowadays – following through on a campaign promise. This story comes out of Iran, where newly minted President Dr. Hassan Rouhani, who promised during this presidential campaign that the government would increase its openness and transparency. And within days of Rouhani’s installation, it is reported that 15 Iranian ministers have now opened Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) profile pages – on a social network that had been blocked in the country from the Iranian people – except for those who can gain access through a proxy server located outside the country.
Saeed Leilaz, a political analyst in Iran, boldly predicted that this is a step toward Internet accessibility. “Definitely filtering on Facebook will be lifted, and we will witness the elimination of filters (on the) Internet.”
Facebook and FISA Court: Let Us Spill More Beans!
In a more recent development with the court developed through the Foriegn Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) lawyers have joined other technology firms to petition the FISA court for permission to reveal more information about government requests for user information. This update was covered by Hayley Tsukayama of the Washington Post.
The idea behind the petition is to allow tech companies to reveal more information about the types of requests by government entities and from what government entities as well as the types of information requested. This, according to the tech firms, would allow for more transparency and increase consumer trust with the companies in the wake of the revelation of the National Security Administration (NSA) PRISM surveillance program. To this point, the FISA Act courts have only limited tech firms to release an aggregate report of the numbers of governmental requests without regards to the types of information or the scope of the requests.
Instagram to Launch Advertising Soon?
We suppose it was only a matter of time. Since Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:B) stepped in and bought Instagram last year, and knowing that Facebook has developed a robust and effective advertising network, there may have been some office pools started that suggested how long before Instagram would launch a Facebook-style advertising network. According to a story posted by Cassie Slane on BestTechie, the answer to the office pool will be revealed soon, as indications are that the company will start to roll out advertising in a small scope sometime in 2014, said Emily White, director of business operations for Instagram (who previously worked for Facebook).
“We want to make money in the long term, but we don’t have any short-term pressure,” White said to the Wall Street Journal. Instagram, to this point, has not generated any revenue for Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB).
If you are an investor in Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) stock, like fund manager Stephen Mandel or Bill Miller, how would you digest all this information in terms of action on your investment?
The problems with education have gotten so out of hand that not only has Elon Musk taken his kids out of school, but he has started a radical new one, Asta Nova.
But the cost of Musk’s virtual school is far too expensive for regular folks. That’s why EdTech platforms are booming these days. In September 2020, the Global Education Sector has evolved to $7 trillion, and Digital Learning has grown to $160 billion, up from nothing 25 years prior. (ref 11) It is expected to witness a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.9% from 2021 to 2028. (Ref 28) And with homeschooling trend skyrocketed to their highest-ever level of 11.1% in the U.S (Ref 9), this trend is likely to stay!
Duolingo blasted into the EdTech market with an absolutely massive IPO earlier this year. With a reported 40 million monthly users and 500 million downloads (Ref 10), the company is making a lot of money in the EdTech space.
“With the recent global changes, 1.6 billion learners were thrown into the deep end of the online learning pool and told to sink or swim. The catalyst of having 20% of the world’s population becoming online learnersovernight has ushered in a new era, The Dawn of the Age of Digital Learning.“
As a holding company that is specifically positioning itself in the tech market, Pushfor Investments Inc. (CSE:PUSH) (OTC:PUSOF) has been making exciting acquisitions in 2021.
